14 August 2012 Last updated at 09:21 ET

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Footage showed the extent of the fires on the mainland and La Gomera in the Canary Islands

Firefighters in Spain's Canary Islands are still struggling to contain a blaze on La Gomera described by a local official as an "ecological disaster".

Five planes and seven helicopters are supporting firefighters on the ground.

But a change in wind direction means the flames are not spreading as quickly as before, Spanish media report.

About 5,000 people were evacuated on the island, but most of them can return to their homes now, officials say. So far the fire has destroyed 39 homes.

Morocco is sending a firefighting plane to help Spain tackle the fire.

About 25% of the Garajonay nature reserve, a Unesco World Heritage site, has been destroyed by fire. The area measures about 750 hectares (1,853 acres).

The woodland is a unique ecosystem, believed to be millions of years old. Javier Gonzalez Ortiz, the Canary Islands' head of security and emergencies, described it as "an ecological disaster".

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Canary Islands fire still raging