Spain: Tenerife wildfire forces evacuation of thousands

"Based on preliminary estimates stemming from a comprehensive census, the potential number of evacuees could well surpass the 26,000-person mark," the agency communicated via X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Canary Islands' government unveiled that an unrelenting forest fire on Tenerife had engulfed an expansive 5,000 hectares (approximately 12,355 acres), maintaining its firm grip on an unchecked spread.

The authorities have taken decisive action to deploy a fleet of 17 aircraft to quell the rampant flames.

Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced his slated visit to the fire-stricken island on Monday.

The scale of the disaster escalated as a forest fire, raging ferociously on Tenerife - the largest of Spain's Canary Islands, mushroomed to cover a colossal 12,813 hectares (around 31,661 acres), as disclosed by the governmental body of the Canary Islands on Sunday.

"The extent of the fire's impact presently spans 12,813 hectares across 11 municipalities, its perimeter stretching an extensive 90 kilometers [equivalent to 55 miles]," the government conveyed, further noting that an approximate count of 379 firefighters are meticulously engaged in the herculean task of extinguishing the blazing inferno.

At an earlier juncture on Sunday, official records indicated that a noteworthy tally of 12,279 individuals had been safely evacuated in light of the fire's menacing advance.

Simultaneously, the Emergency and Security Coordination Center of the Canary Islands, in an earlier statement on Saturday, underscored the potential for the evacuation numbers to swell beyond the staggering threshold of 26,000.

During the course of the week, Fernando Clavijo, President of the Canary Islands, ominously characterized the blaze as the most intricate conflagration the region has grappled with over the past four decades.