MADRID, July 17 (Xinhua) -- A wildfire that began in the early hours of Saturday morning in the north-west of La Palma in the Canary Islands continued to burn out of control on Monday, forcing the evacuation of around 4,000 people, local emergency services confirmed.

The wildfire has slowed down, but it is still spreading fast in the scarcely inhabited but difficult terrain of the La Caldera de Taburiente National Park.

The wildfire is believed to have started by inadvertent human action -- the burning of a garbage container after a celebration that would have taken place on Saturday afternoon, the Spanish Civil Guard said, An investigation is ongoing.

Around 400 firefighters are currently battling the wildfire, with the help of 13 aircraft and helicopters.

Spain has seen 16 major wildfires this year, mostly in the spring months, when temperatures set records and rainfall was scarce.

The country was hit by the second heatwave of the summer last week, and a third one is predicted by the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) to reach the country in the coming days. Currently, the best part of central and southern Spain is under "extreme" forest fire alert. Enditem

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