July 16 (Reuters) - At least 4,000 people have been evacuated as a forest fire burned out of control on the Spanish island of La Palma, authorities said on Sunday, as Europe struggled to cope with a heatwave.
The fire in La Palma started in the early hours of Saturday in El Pinar de Puntagorda, a wooded area in the north of the island in the Canaries.
Ten aerial units and 300 firefighters on the ground sought to bring the wildfire under control on the island, which forms part of a Spanish archipelago off the coast of western Africa.
"There has been some resistance by local people to leaving their homes, but I appeal to people to be responsible," Clavijo told reporters in La Palma.
King Felipe VI of Spain telephoned Clavijo on Saturday to express his support with the people of La Palma, the Spanish royal household said.
Persons:
Fernando Clavijo, Clavijo, King Felipe VI of Spain, Graham Keeley, Barbara Lewis
Organizations:
La Palma, Canaries, La, Thomson
Locations:
La Palma, Europe, La, El Pinar de Puntagorda, Puntagorda, Tijarafe, Spanish, Africa, Canary, Tenerife