Firefighters tackle Canaries blaze

LA PALMA, Canary Islands -- Firefighters on Spain's Canary Islands are struggling to extinguish a forest fire that has been raging since Saturday on the island of La Palma.

The blaze was temporarily brought under control on Monday, but has been revived by winds and is now threatening to damage the national park of Caldera de Taburiente on La Palma, radio reports said.

The reports said that there was no danger of the flames spreading inside the park, a tourist attraction located in one of the world's biggest volcanic craters. The crater has a diameter of nine kilometres.

The fires have already destroyed around 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres) of bush and forest on La Palma, one of seven Canary Islands off the northwestern African coast, since breaking out on Saturday.

Many residents have been forced to evacuate their homes. Officials did not exclude the possibility of arson.

More than 500 people, with four helicopters and two planes, were working to get the fire under control. The strong winds are making firefighting more difficult.

At the weekend, firefighters ordered the evacuation of an observatory containing one of the world's largest telescopes, the William Herschel telescope.

Jose Luis Perestello, a local official in charge of firefighting, said the Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory had been evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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