Andalusia's worst wildfire stabilized after 12 deaths; 1,000 evacuees cleared to return

Containment after days of rapid spread

The wildfire that broke out near Los Gallardos, Almería, on Thursday 9 July was declared stabilized on Sunday 12 July by Andalusia’s firefighting agency, Infoca. Favorable overnight humidity helped crews secure a 40‑km perimeter after the flames had advanced at up to 100 metres per minute. President of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, confirmed the operational level was lowered and the order to return was given.

Good news. After very hard days, the Infoca Plan considers the fire stabilized. It is delimited and controlled, and we are gradually authorizing the return of the 1,000 people who were evacuated.

The fire, now the deadliest and largest in the region’s history, has scorched 7,000 hectares. Moreno, speaking from the advanced command post in Turre, called the day the beginning of the end of the emergency.

Death toll and the search for the missing

At least 12 people died in the fire, all while trying to flee. Officials say many victims were foreign nationals, including four British citizens. Identification has been slow because relatives reside abroad and forensic samples are difficult to collect. The Civil Guard is combing the burned area with 100 personnel to locate additional victims.

The number of missing remains uncertain. The Civil Guard has received eight formal complaints of disappearance, yet other local reports put the figure of unaccounted persons as high as 23. Authorities have stressed that the death toll will not be updated until autopsies and identifications are concluded.

Evacuation orders and criticism

Andalusia’s minister for civil protection and emergencies, Antonio Sanz, stated that the victims had ignored early evacuation instructions. When they finally decided to leave, they drove in the wrong direction, into a wall of fire.

They should have left earlier. Instead they stayed, and when they finally decided to go, they took the wrong route, a trap that cost them their lives.

Spain’s transport minister, Óscar Puente, questioned why the national mobile‑alert system ES‑Alert was not activated. Sanz defended the decision, arguing a mass alert could have caused panic. He said authorities delivered targeted instructions through emergency teams and local councils.

Response and what comes next

More than 500 firefighters and 32 aerial units remain deployed to extinguish residual hot spots. The Military Emergency Unit and Infoca teams are using drones to detect critical points. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is scheduled to visit the affected zone on Monday 13 July.

The crews will keep working until the fire is fully out. I thank all the teams for their dedication and coordination.

The Los Gallardos fire now ranks as the worst wildfire in Andalusia’s recorded history, both in terms of area burned and lives lost.