Volcanic eruptions in the Spanish town of La Palma, the Canary Islands. have intensified, forcing firefighters to retreat and three towns to evacuate on 24SEP. Flights to the destination have been cancelled due to a cloud of gas and ash, the biggest since the volcano erupted. Government authorities ordered the evacuation of the towns of Tajuya, Tacande de Abajo and the part of Tacande de Arriba that had not already been evacuated on 24SEP. On the same day, firefighters in the town of Todoque retreated due to the opening of a new vent on the side of the volcano. "The volcano is in a newly explosive phase … Firefighters will not operate anymore today," tweeted the Tenerife fire service, which has been deployed to help on La Palma. Canary Islands’ emergency services initially told residents to stay indoors to avoid ash and smoke, but later decided to evacuate due to heightened risk from explosions. The Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on 19SEP, and has since spewed thousands of tons of lava, destroyed hundreds of homes, and forced thousands to evacuate.
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