Firefighting teams have managed to bring the forest fires raging across Tenerife under control and roads are starting to re-open, the tourist board has said.
The fires, which have affected Tenerife, La Gomera and the mainland region of Galicia, are said to have forced some 4,700 people from their homes. Spain has been hit hard by forest fires after its driest winter in 70 years.
A statement from the tourist board said the wildfire in Tenerife was now under control and limited to parts of the mountains in the upper regions of the island. The island’s infrastructure, including resorts and visitor attractions, is now back to normal.
It said: “The wildfire does not affect in any way holiday resorts or any inhabited areas on the island, located mostly on the coast.
“The fire has so far affected 369 hectares although the favorable situation has meant that the TF-373 road (San Jose de Los Llanos-Erjos) is now open. Still closed to traffic are the TF-82 (Icod de Los Vinos, Santiago del Teide from kilometre 17.5 to 21.5) and FT-436 (Buenavista del Norte-Santiago del Teide from kilometre 10.3).
“The general public – local population and tourists – are strongly recommended to avoid the fire vicinity in order to facilitate the extinction work. The following Titsa bus lines are also suspended: 460 and 325.”
Abta said holidaymakers had been unaffected but some excursions in Tenerife had been cancelled.
An Abta spokesman said: “Abta and our members are closely monitoring a number forest fires in the Canary Islands of Tenerife and La Gomera, the Greek island of Kefalonia and Galicia in northern Spain. Resorts have not been affected by the fires, though as a precaution tour operators have suspended some inland excursions on Tenerife.”
No holidaymakers are believed to have been affected in La Gomera or Galicia.