©Europa Press

At least 4,000 people have been evacuated from the Spanish island of La Palma as firefighters work to contain a wildfire which burned out of control on Sunday. The fire started in the early hours of Saturday in El Pinar de Puntagorda, a wooded area in the north of the island. As a result, people needed to be evacuated from the villages of Puntagorda and neighbouring Tijarafe. Ten aerial units and 300 firefighters on the ground sought to bring the wildfire under control on the island, which forms part of the Canaries archipelago off the coast of west Africa. …Canary Islands president Fernando Clavijo said at least 20 houses were destroyed as the fire advanced. “There has been some resistance by local people to leaving their homes, but I appeal to people to be responsible,” Mr Clavijo told reporters in La Palma. …Authorities say the fire has affected more than 4,649 hectares.