Fears for tourists as fires rage on holiday islands

Fires on the islands of La Gomera and Tenerife, a favourite of UK holidaymakers, have led to the evacuation of more than 4,000 residents and the cutting off of many roads as precautionary measures, the regional government said.

As of yesterday afternoon, residents were being kept out of 18 towns and villages - eight on Tenerife and 10 on La Gomera.

Fires are also threatening some of Spain’s most treasured national parks, including a Unesco world heritage site, and some islands in Greece have also seen outbreaks.

Two firefighters have died while battling a wildfire in Alicante, in the east of the Spanish mainland, an emergency official said.

One died yesterday and another on Sunday in an Alicante city hospital. Two other crew members were being treated in the hospital, the official said.

News of the deaths came as hundreds of people were evacuated from La Gomera by boat.

Nearly 1,000 tourists and island residents were evacuated by boat from the western island town of Valle Gran Rey on La Gomera island as fires in surrounding hills threatened to engulf the town. A further 3,000 people were gathered at the port waiting to see how the fire developed.

Around 5,000 people were evacuated from other towns on La Gomera and neighbouring Tenerife because of fires over the weekend but were later able to return home.

The Canary Island regional government said nearly 12 square miles, including land in the Garajonay National Park, had been destroyed since the fire began nine days ago. The park contains woodlands that have survived since the Tertiary age, 11 million years ago, and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1986.

The blaze was thought to have been brought under control last week but it rekindled on Friday.

The Foreign Office said it is keeping a close eye on developments.

A spokesman said: “We are aware of the reports, which we are monitoring closely and we are advising British nationals to stay in touch.”

Regional officials said there was evidence the fire on La Gomera was started deliberately as it had two focal points two miles apart that began burning within a short time of each other.

A statement said firefighting crews working on the islands were “finding it difficult to limit the spread of fire”.

Aircraft that were previously dousing the fires with water when they first broke out a week ago were sent away as it was thought the fire was under control but winds and high temperatures have helped rekindle the flames.

A hot summer has followed a dry winter in Spain, with temperatures reaching 44C (111.2F) in southern areas in recent days. The state meteorological agency has warned of “a high risk of fires in the country”.

The Canary Island regional government has called on Spain to boost the islands’ firefighting capacity. With the island 850 miles from Spain’s south-western tip, it can take more than a day for reinforcement planes to be deployed from the mainland.

Regional governments reported 10 wildfires raging across Spain on Sunday.

The wildfires have not affected holiday resorts where many Britons could be staying but some excursions in Tenerife have been suspended, according to the travel association ABTA.