More than 2,000 people have been evacuated in a small town in the Spanish holiday island of Gran Canaria island as a wildfire raged through the region.

The blaze, which started in the town of Valleseco on Saturday evening, was moving fairly quickly.

An emergency area was declared for the municipalities of Moya and Tejeda. Some 2,000 people in the town of Tejeda and several other districts were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

The affected area covered 1,000 hectares, and the neighborhoods concerned includes the municipalities of Artenara, Tejeda and Galdar, local authorities said.

It will be a difficult night ahead as strong gusts of wind are forecasted, said Canarian Government Security Councillor Julio Perez.

Water-dropping helicopters and ground firefighters were working to tackle the blaze.