Firefighting plane from Costa del Sol joins efforts to tackle La Palma wildfire

Almost a hundred members of Spain's Military Emergency Unit (UME) left from Andalucía this Sunday for La Palma in the Canary Islands to join the work to extinguish the wildfire in the island's Puntagorda area, which has already destroyed more than 4,650 hectares. The 86 soldiers left the Morón de la Frontera base on board a Spanish Air Force A-400M.

Meanwhile, a seaplane, which arrived on Saturday afternoon from Malaga, is also taking part in the firefighting efforts, and has already been able to make the first drops of water in the affected areas.

The delegate of the Spanish Government in Andalucía, Pedro Fernández, has shown his support for the residents of La Palma, while thanking the emergency services, state security forces and firefighters for their work. "It is terrifying to see how the fire has devastated everything. In Andalucía we know all too well the destruction left by the flames," Fernández posted in a message on his Twitter profile.

On the island of La Palma, the wildfire has burnt some 4,650 hectares and around twenty buildings and has forced the evacuation of the 4,255 residents of Tijarafe and Puntagorda areas as a precaution. Of these people, some 200 are in the shelters provided by the authorities and the rest are staying in second homes or with relatives, while an operation has also been set up for the protection of animals.

During the night, more than a hundred troops worked on the ground (during Saturday the operation involved 400 people) and this morning the air resources resumed their activity.

Throughout the day, a total of eleven aircraft will be working to extinguish the fire, including the seaplane, which arrived on Saturday afternoon from the Costa del Sol and was able to make the first drops of water in the affected areas. In addition, a second seaplane arrived at the Gando air base (Gran Canaria) in the early hours of this morning and has joined the extinguishing work.