Madrid, 17 August 2023 (dpa/MIA) - A forest fire that erupted Tuesday night on the Spanish island of Tenerife continues to spread, authorities said on Thursday.

The blaze on the north-east of the largest Canary Island has burned an area of more than 2,600 hectares and affects six municipalities, the regional government said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Emergency crews were deployed on the ground and in the air to battle the fire, which has sent a plume of smoke rising several kilometres high.

The government warned people of pollution from gases and small particles released by burning plants and other material.

Evacuations were ordered in several localities. The Red Cross is setting up emergency shelters in gymnasiums.

The president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, stressed in a statement on Thursday just how difficult it was to bring the fire under control.

According to the government, it was the "most complicated fire" that Tenerife had experienced in the past 40 years.

The Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa, experiences frequent wildfires in the summer.

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