Tenerife: Evacuations as fire flares up again in high temperatures

Towns on the islands northeast have had to be evacuated as a precaution

Around 3,000 people have been evacuated from their homes on the Spanish island of Tenerife due to a wildfire.

The blaze, which has been burning since Wednesday, has so far affected communities on the island's northeast - away from the main tourist areas.

It is the same fire that ravaged the area in August which has flared up again due to high temperatures and strong winds.

Spain's military has been called in to help with the firefighting efforts.

Rosa Davila, president of the Tenerife Council, said she hoped that the use of several helicopters throughout Thursday would allow teams to stabilise the fire.

The majority of people have been evacuated from the towns of Santa Ursula and La Orotava as a precaution, according to the local government.

"I was working and my mother called to say the fire was very close - it was insane," one resident told the Reuters news agency.

"Now I think that every time there is a dust storm or the temperature is too high I will have to evacuate my house," said another.

The Canary Islands, of which Tenerife is one, have been on wildfire alert in recent days due to unusually high temperatures.

Officials said that while the August blaze had been brought under control, it had never been completely extinguished.

That wildfire burned for days and destroyed thousands of hectares of forest around the Mount Teide volcano, Spain's highest peak.

Heatwaves have become more frequent, more intense, and last longer because of human-induced climate change.

The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.

Read more: Warmest September as global temperatures soar