Wildfire in Spain's Gran Canaria island menaces villages

A wildfire rages, in the area of Pico de las Nieves, on the Canary Island of Gran Canaria, Spain July 25, 2023. REUTERS/Borja Suarez

TEJEDA, Spain (Reuters) - A rapidly-spreading wildfire that broke out at the centre of the Spanish island of Gran Canaria on Tuesday forced the authorities to remove several hundred villagers from their homes, shut three roads and deploy helicopters to contain the blaze.

A Reuters witness said the flames affecting the hilly central part of the island near the Tejeda peak, away from the beaches popular with tourists, were just metres from an array of antennae on a mountain top, some of them linked to air traffic control.