According to Fernando Clavijo, the President of the Canary Islands, administration officials were considering lifting restrictions on about four thousand Tenerife residents who had been ordered to remain home, since the firefighters battling the huge wildfires that engulfed the island are making progress, and the advance of the fires seems to slow down.

Since August 16, around 3,000 Tenerife residents had been forced to evacuate as wildfires tore through the Spanish Canary Island.

Officials said the wildfires had spread across 26 miles and had advanced more slowly and predictably overnight, making it easier for emergency response teams and firefighters to combat the inferno.

During the latest news conference, President Clavijo announced that the fire and the weather behaved “normally” last night, unlike during two previous nights, when the wind, temperatures and the behavior of the fire were highly unusual.

According to Clavijo, some 450 firefighters and soldiers with 16 aircraft were currently combating the “most complex” wildfire in the Canary Islands “in at least the past 40 years,” that has so far destroyed about 9,400 acres.

Tourist access to Tenerife’s mountains has been restricted.

Tenerife‘s two airports remain open and continue to operate as usual.