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00:00 A wall of flames bears down on Tierra Fe, one of two villages on the Spanish island
00:05 of La Palma that have been evacuated, leaving some 4,000 residents reeling.
00:11 "I've seen many wildfires, but none like this.
00:16 This is terrible, horrible."
00:20 The fire started early Saturday near the village of Punta Gorda, in the hilly woods of the
00:24 island's northwest.
00:26 Temperatures had been soaring above 40 degrees, and like mainland Spain, the Canary Islands
00:32 have had below-average rainfall, leaving its woodlands tinder-dry.
00:36 The flames have engulfed over 46 square kilometers and at least 20 homes.
00:41 300 firefighters have been deployed, along with nine helicopters and several airplanes.
00:47 "We made 241 water drops, a total of 352,000 liters.
00:54 I want to emphasize that at times the task was very difficult because of low visibility
01:01 due to the smoke and ash, as well as the wind and heat, which made it hard to operate the
01:05 aircraft."
01:09 Challenging conditions on the ground as well, where firefighters carry out controlled burns,
01:15 creating already charred areas that will stop the fire in its tracks.
01:19 "Difficult, it's been a bit difficult because of the shifting wind and the heat of the last
01:27 days, but we're holding on."
01:31 After several days of cooler weather, temperatures are set to rise again early this week.
01:36 The fire is the biggest natural disaster to hit La Palma since autumn of 2021, when a
01:41 prolonged volcanic eruption devastated the island, destroying more than 2,000 buildings
01:46 and leaving it covered in ash.