Southern Spain wildfire: 12 dead, Belgian and French nationals among victims and missing as 600 go home
A wildfire in southern Spain that killed at least 12 people has stabilised enough for 600 evacuees to return home, while questions mount over what warnings residents received.
The fire and the victims
A wildfire that ignited on Thursday near Bédar in the province of Almería, southern Spain, has killed at least 12 people. The victims were trapped in their vehicles or overtaken by flames while attempting to flee near Los Gallardos during the night of Thursday to Friday. The fire burned through at least 6,600 hectares, forcing the evacuation of approximately 1,500 residents from the area, a region popular with British nationals.
The best news we could have was that there were no new victims.
Reports of missing foreign nationals
A 63-year-old Belgian man was among those who died. His son, speaking to Reuters, said his father had tried to escape with a group of neighbours in Bédar but was caught by the fire. According to the son, local authorities did not issue instructions to residents. A French national also remains among the missing, the French foreign ministry confirmed on Saturday evening. Spanish authorities are working to identify the remains, and have cautioned that the number of unaccounted-for individuals is fluid, with seven official missing persons reports filed.
The people who died did not refuse to follow orders, there were no orders. No information was provided.
The mayor of Bédar told Reuters that a group including the Belgian man had been asked to stay inside.
The firefighting effort
After two days of what residents described as hellish conditions, an improvement in weather allowed crews to shift tactics. Antonio Sanz, the Andalusian regional emergency chief, said Saturday that for the first time, firefighters could attack the blaze directly rather than work purely in defence. Hundreds of firefighters and soldiers, supported by aerial units, remain deployed on the ground.
It is the first day we have been able to intervene in attack on the fire. The circumstances, both meteorological and those of the fire itself, had until now only allowed us to work in defence.
Evacuees return
During Saturday night, Sanz announced that a significant portion of the fire's perimeter had been stabilised, a step he described as moving cautiously toward a return to normality. This progress allowed 600 of the roughly 1,500 evacuees to go back to their homes. The Civil Guard has completed an initial sweep of the burned zone and, encouragingly, found no additional bodies, though hot spots remain. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska also urged prudence regarding the number of missing, noting that some people out of contact with relatives might simply be in temporary shelters.
- Wildfire breaks out near Bédar, Almería province, southern Spain.
- At least 12 people die trapped in vehicles or overtaken by flames while fleeing near Los Gallardos.
- French foreign ministry confirms a French national is among the missing; firefighters shift from defensive to offensive operations.
- Regional emergency chief Antonio Sanz announces 600 of about 1,500 evacuees can return home after perimeter stabilisation.
What comes next
Autopsies and formal identification of the recovered bodies are still pending, meaning the final death toll cannot yet be confirmed. The seven individuals officially declared missing could include some of the 12 already recovered victims. Emergency services continue working to fully contain the fire while authorities manage the sheltering and eventual return of the remaining displaced population.
