Thousands of evacuees return home as Tenerife wildfire eases

A firefighter plane discharges water over Guimar, as wildfires rage out of control on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain August 22, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho Doce

TENERIFE, Canary Islands, Spain (Reuters) - More than 8,000 evacuees from a wildfire that has devastated forests on the Spanish island of Tenerife for more than a week were able to return home as the blaze has been brought under control, authorities said on Wednesday.

The fire, which started on Aug. 15, has so far ravaged almost 15,000 hectares of woodland within the national park surrounding the Mount Teide volcano, Spain's highest peak.