Emergency services in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands archipelago of Spain in the Atlantic Ocean, had to evacuate about 26,000 people as a large fire that broke out last Tuesday spread.

The regional emergency services stated in a statement that preliminary estimates indicate that more than 26,000 people have been evacuated, while the fire expanded significantly overnight, having spread downhill from the mountain in the Santa Ursula area in the northeast of the island.

The Spanish authorities described the fire as "the most complicated" in the Canary Islands in four decades, as strong winds and high temperatures contributed to the fire's spread during the night from Friday to Saturday.

Manuel Miranda, a member of the Regional Policy and Regional Cohesion Council and Water Resource Management, said, "The weather has changed, and we had to evacuate towns in northern Tenerife, specifically five areas."

He explained that it was necessary to evacuate more people due to "the danger of the fire and how close it is," adding that the authorities have so far "avoided any human losses, which is our main goal."

Spanish authorities announced last Friday the evacuation of about 4,500 people since the fire broke out, while residents of five additional municipalities were evacuated this morning.