Wildfire plays havoc in Canary Islands as 4700 flee to safety

San Sebastián : Spain | Aug 12, 2012 at 8:39 AM PDT

By prabirghose

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Wildfires which have been raging in the islands of La Gomera and Tenerife have forced at least 4700 people to flee to safer places. These islands are a part of the Canary Islands situated off the coast of Morocco.

The fire in La Gomera has destroyed nearly 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of land – this includes a large portion of the Garajonay nature reserve which is a World Heritage site. Efforts have been made to drop water from aircraft because the Garajonay reserve is home to a rare subtropical forest and has over 450 species of plant.

The fire is also a threat to another World Heritage site in Greece – it is the Mount Athos which houses an ancient monastic community.

This has been reported in news.sky.com of dated 12th of August 2012.

Rescue operations are hampered due to the blazing heat coupled with a low humidity and strong winds which keep fanning the flames.

Vegetation in more than 130,000 hectares of land has been destroyed by wildfires in Spain between January 1 and July 29.

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REUTERS - Canary Islands fire

prabirghose is based in Nāshik, Maharashtra, India, and is an Anchor for Allvoices.

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la gomera island

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view of la gomera island
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tenerife island

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A passenger waits near ...

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