Approximately 4,000 residents were forced to evacuate the Spanish Island of La Palma in the Canary Islands after a three-day long wildfire burned nearly 10,000 acres of land. Satellite shots taken by NASA showed towers of white smoke rising through the island’s mountains starting on July 15th, revealing the extent of the fire’s spread. Over 500 firefighters were dispatched to control the wildfire and helicopters regularly dumped loads of water to push back the flames.
Due to recent heat waves, wildfires have been occurring more frequently in hilly terrain of Europe and northwest Africa. The combination of drought, minimal rainfall, and high temperature have increased the risk of forest fires in the region. Spain experienced its first major wildfire of the year this March which promoted concerns about rising temperatures, dry conditions, and strong winds producing conditions for major crisis’ in Spain.
By Taybah Alam