Wildfire in southern Spain kills at least 12, including British and Belgian nationals, as 23 remain missing
A wildfire that erupted late Thursday in Almería province, Andalusia, has killed at least 12 people and left 23 missing, with many victims believed to be British and Belgian nationals who ignored evacuation orders.
A fast-moving wildfire that tore through a semi-arid area of southern Spain late Thursday has claimed at least 12 lives and forced the evacuation of more than 1,400 people, according to regional authorities. The blaze continued to burn into Friday afternoon, fuelled by scorching temperatures, strong winds and bone-dry vegetation.
- Fire ignites near Los Gallardos, possibly from a fallen electric cable.
- Evacuation orders issued; some foreign residents ignore the instructions.
- Flames trap vehicles and people on foot; at least 7 die while trying to escape on a wrong route.
- Bodies discovered; 4 victims found in a right-hand-drive car are identified as British.
- More than 500 firefighters and 30 aircraft continue to fight the fire; 23 people still missing.
How the fire spread
The fire broke out on Thursday afternoon near the community of Los Gallardos, close to Bédar, roughly 80 kilometres from Almería. Early investigations point to an electric cable that fell along a state road as the trigger. Gusty winds and terrain covered in scrubland and esparto grass, which had been desiccated by weeks of extreme heat, quickly pushed the flames into a 15-kilometre front. By Friday, more than 3,200 hectares of forest and farmland had been consumed.
It consists mainly of scrubland and esparto grass. Everything is extremely dry due to the heat waves, making it the perfect fuel; combined with the wind, it's a ticking time bomb.
Victims caught in a 'fire trap'
Most of the dead perished after disregarding orders to shelter in place or to leave via designated routes, said Antonio Sanz, head of Andalusia's emergency services. Some attempted to escape along a dry riverbed that "turned into a death trap". Four victims were found inside a right-hand-drive vehicle, identified by authorities as British nationals. Seven more died on foot after abandoning their cars, among them at least one Spaniard and one Belgian. Eight people were injured, four of them seriously, and 23 remained missing late Friday. The mayor of Bédar, Ángel Francisco Collado Fernández, recounted going door to door urging residents to flee. "Some ignored the orders," he said. "They found themselves in a fire trap."
Dean Taylor, a British-Spanish resident, described using back roads to narrowly escape. "It was quite terrifying," he said. "It's a very sad day, isn't it? It's devastating, really."
Firefighting and search efforts
More than 500 firefighters, soldiers and emergency personnel, supported by 30 water-dropping aircraft and drones, were still struggling to contain the fire on Friday. Steep, inaccessible ravines made the operation, in the words of Sanz, "extremely complicated". Temperatures remained around 35 °C (95 °F) by early evening, with wind gusts of about 40 km/h. Luis Ortega, regional head of the Guardia Civil, said teams were searching for the missing "house to house" and expressed cautious hope that the death toll would not rise sharply.
Context of extreme heat
Spain has endured repeated heat waves, with June alone bringing several days of record-setting temperatures and more than 1,000 excess deaths attributed to the heat. Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, and the combination of high temperatures, scarce rainfall and frequent wind events has turned small brush fires into large, deadly blazes. The Almería disaster is among the deadliest wildfires ever recorded in Andalusia.
Response
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez posted on X: "Immense sadness and desolation in the face of the terrible consequences of the fire affecting the province of Almería." A moment of silence was observed before the World Cup quarter-final between Spain and Belgium in Los Angeles. Belgian nationals are also suspected among the dead. Identity confirmation is pending DNA analysis, as the charred remains of several victims made visual identification impossible.
A Belgian owner of a guesthouse in the area, who managed to flee with her husband at the last moment, described the chaos: "I was in the bedroom when I saw the fire. I quickly took a suitcase and suddenly heard Stefan shouting from below: 'Now! Come down now!' I tried to gather some documents and warn the guests, but I couldn't. We just had to run, and then we saw our house was swallowed by flames."
The fire was still not under control late Friday, and a new heat episode was raising the risk of additional ignitions across the country.
