Flames and smoke could be seen billowing from the area in Lanzarote (Picture: EPA)
A fire has broken out at a landfill site in the popular holiday destination of Lanzarote, Spain.
It started on Monday night after 7pm at the Zonzamas environmental complex, near Costa Teguise, and pictures from the scene show fire and smoke billowing out from the area.
The fire then quickly spread to other areas of the complex before emergency services were called.
The Government of the Canary Islands has activated the Civil Protection Territorial Emergency Plan, according to the Canarian Weekly.
This means people are urged to stay away from the landfill site for safety reasons.
Residents in the area have also been told to close doors and windows and avoid going outside as a precaution against smoke inhalation.
Firefighters are also attempting to extinguish the fire this morning with helicopters from the air.
Fire services and voluntary fire services were called from the island’s main fire station and the airport fire station.
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The fire broke out at around 7pm on Monday night (Picture: EPA)
Residents and visitors have been told to stay away from the area by authorities (Picture: EPA)
It appears the fire broke out at a part of the site that contains discarded furniture, fittings and garden waste.
It is also believed that a shredding machine was destroyed in the blaze worth a large amount of money.
Enrique Espinosa, chief of the emergency services, said: ‘The problem is that the only way to extinguish these types of fires is with diggers and sand, but the smoke is so intense that we have to wait.
‘This will take some time.’
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