MADRID (AP) — Authorities in Spain's Canary Islands say that less wind and lower temperatures are giving a respite to firefighters trying to tackle Spain's biggest wildfire so far this year.

More than 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres) have been burned in the western slopes of Gran Canaria, an island off northwest Africa. Around 10,000 people remain evacuated and more than 1,000 firefighters and emergency workers have been deployed.

Canary Islands President Ángel Víctor Torres says in a tweet on Tuesday that the blaze is losing strength and the heart of the island's main nature reserve of Tamadaba has been spared from burning.

Only the night before, authorities described the flames as "uncontrollable" and quickly advancing toward the south of the volcanic island.

Gran Canaria is a popular vacation destination for Europeans.