Thousands of people on Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, were forced to evacuate as a historic wildfire threatened half a dozen municipalities. Another 18,000 people were told to remain indoors as air quality rapidly deteriorated across the island.
The fire ignited in mid-August and quickly grew out of control, fueled by dry conditions, an ongoing heatwave, and high winds. Efforts by first responders were hampered by mountainous terrain which limited access to the frontlines. In certain areas, the blaze was so hot that water being dumped from firefighting airplanes evaporated before hitting the flames.
WCK’s Relief Team mobilized quickly, arriving on Tenerife within hours of the fire igniting with sandwiches, snacks, and water for emergency responders working nonstop to control the blaze. Our team mobilized to support first responders across the island.
By the numbers
meals served
to first responders
Meet our local partner
We are working with Zulay, a bakery on Tenerife, to provide hundreds of sandwiches, along with cold water and delicious local bananas, to first responders spread across the island’s mountainous terrain.