Spain fire threatens preserve; 4,000 flee

EL CERCADO, Spain -- Fierce wildfires forced the evacuation of thousands of residents and were threatening some of Spain's most precious natural parks, including a UNESCO World Heritage Site, officials said Sunday.

Fires on the Canary islands of La Gomera and Tenerife led to the evacuation of more than 4,000 residents beginning late Saturday and the cutting off of many roads as precautionary measures, the regional government said.

By midafternoon Sunday, residents were still not allowed to return to 18 towns and villages that had been evacuated, eight on the popular tourist island of Tenerife and 10 on La Gomera, the government said.

Regional official Nancy Melo said there was evidence the fire on La Gomera was started deliberately because "it had two focal points 2 miles apart that began burning vigorously within a short space of time from each other."

"We are living through hell, we have asked the central government for more resources with which to fight the fire," said Casimiro Curbelo, local leader of La Gomera.

At the heart of his island lies Garajonay National Park, which experts say contains woodlands that have survived since the Tertiary age, 11 million years ago. Garajonay was declared a World Heritage Site by the UN cultural agency in 1986.

-- AP