Wildfire rages through Gran Canaria forcing evacuation of 1,000 residents
Video report by ITV News Correspondent Juliet Bremner
A raging wildfire on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria has burned through 2,470 acres and forced the evacuation of 1,000 residents.
The regional government of the Canary Islands said 200 firefighters and 10 water-dumping aircraft were working to combat the blaze that started on Saturday for reasons unknown.
Spain's military emergency unit that specialises in fighting fires has also been deployed to the area.
Spanish state broadcaster RTVE said the evacuations were a precaution and no homes have been burned.
Televised images showed a fire consuming the hillside near a town overnight.
The evacuations affected people from Artenara and the municipalities of Tejeda and Gáldar.
A Spanish resident said: "When I opened the door, I saw how much smoke there was.
"I thought that the town had to be evacuated, we could not stay like this."
The Artenara deputy mayor Dina Gonzalez Gil, said: "The evacuation was around 2am.
"They warned us about the fire and we evacuated the whole town.
"We evacuated neighbourhood by neighborhood as the fire was advancing.
"Now we are all in Acusa, some have been relocated to Aldea and Las Palmas."