Tenerife volcano ALERT: 100 firefighters battle blaze at foot of Mount Teide volcano
TENERIFE has been put on emergency alert after a ferocious blaze broke out at the foot of the island's famous Mount Teide volcano.
More than 100 emergency personnel spent the night bringing the fire under control, at one stage digging trenches with a bulldozer to stop the flames spreading even further. The thick black smoke and flames were clearly visible from many parts of the island and from the air, though flights have not been affected. The operation continued this morning though at 2am last night, the island's government said the fire had been brought under control thanks to the drop in temperature, lower winds and the "incredible" efforts of the fire fighting squads.
It is not yet known how the blaze started though the heatwave across Spain over the last few days has brought about tinderbox conditions.
Around 20 hectares - equivalent to 20 international rugby pitches - has been destroyed in the shadow of the volcano. This includes shrubland and shrubs.
At one stage last night, 114 personnel were involved in the operation. Helicopters started to drop water again from early this morning to stop the fire erupting again. Army bulldozers were also brought in.
The fire began on Wednesday afternoon in the Cañada de los Guancheros in the Teide National Park, one of Tenerife's biggest tourist attractions.
The visitor centre was used as one of the bases for the fire fighting operation.
A spokesman said the crews were initially hindered by the very low humidity, the difficulty in reaching the area affected by the blaze and the strong wind which whipped up the flames.
He said tackling the fire with manual tools had made the work very "tedious and complicated".
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This morning, a number of forest tracks in the area remain closed.
A hunting day planned in the National Park has also been suspended.
An investigation is already underway to find out what caused the fire at a time when all the Canary islands are on alert in a bid to avoid disasters of previous years.