Spanish firefighters on Monday were battling a wildfire that has raged for three days on the wooded slopes of La Palma in the Canary Islands, temporarily forcing the evacuation of more than 4,000 residents. The fire, which the Spanish authorities say has burned some 10,000 acres, could be a preview of weather-related crises to come this summer in Europe. The southern part of the continent is in the midst of a heat wave that is drying up fields, increasing the risks of wildfires. “The weather has been helping us,” Sergio Rodríguez, the president of the local government council in La Palma, said in a news conference on Monday. More than 500 firefighters were trying to bring the blaze under control, aided by several water-carrying helicopters making regular rounds over the flames in an attempt to douse them.

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Persons: ” Sergio Rodríguez Organizations: La Palma Locations: La, Canary, Europe, La Palma