Fallen power cable sparks deadly Spain wildfire, killing at least 13; Sánchez urges prevention culture
At least 13 people have died, including four Britons and a French national, after a wildfire sparked by a fallen power line tore through Almería province. The blaze scorched 7,000 hectares and forced hundreds to evacuate before being stabilized Sunday.
The fire's outbreak and rapid spread
On Thursday, July 9, a power cable fell alongside a road near Los Gallardos in Andalusia's Almería province, igniting dry vegetation. Within hours, the flames were moving at roughly 100 metres per minute, according to fire authorities. By the time it was stabilized on Sunday, July 12, the wildfire had consumed 7,000 hectares and reached a perimeter of 40 kilometres, provincial president Juan Manuel Moreno told reporters.
- Electrical cable falls, igniting wildfire near Los Gallardos; fire spreads at 100 metres per minute.
- Fire stabilized; at least 600 evacuees return home.
- CID identifies six victims; four Britons and one French among them.
- Prime Minister Sánchez arrives at rescue command centre in Turre, calls for prevention culture.
Victims identified: foreign nationals among the dead
As of Monday, July 13, Spain's public identification body (CID) had formally identified six of the 13 confirmed dead. Those identified include four British nationals and one French woman, while six more bodies remained to be identified. The death toll may yet rise: the CID received ten reports from families searching for missing relatives, and it warned the number could increase. A 93-year-old British woman died in hospital on Sunday night from injuries sustained in the fire; she was among eight people hospitalized, four of them in serious condition. The French foreign ministry had earlier confirmed a French national was officially missing.
Sánchez visits and calls for a prevention culture
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez arrived at the rescue command centre in Turre at 11:25 a.m. on Monday, where he met firefighters and emergency workers. He used the visit to call for a shift from reactive responses to preventative action.
We must not only react when these fires happen, but we must also prevent.
Sánchez added that every individual needs to recognize that the climate is changing and the effects of the climate emergency are worsening. He warned of a "complicated summer" ahead that would require constant vigilance. He also noted that in 2025 more than 393,000 hectares burned in Spain, accounting for "one third of the total area burned in Europe."
Evacuations and the aftermath
On Sunday, after three days of intense firefighting, the blaze was brought under control. Authorities allowed at least 600 evacuated residents to return to their homes in areas devastated by the fire. Many encountered a landscape of charred vegetation and burned vehicles. The Spanish press, from La Vanguardia to La Razón, has already begun calling for a "pacto de Estado" to improve fire prevention and environmental awareness, arguing that the tragedy must serve as an "electroshock" for national policy.
Climate change and Spain's vulnerability
Spain sits on the front line of climate change, with heatwaves becoming longer and more frequent, and temperatures regularly surpassing 40°C even in spring. These conditions create ideal settings for fast-spreading fires, as seen in Los Gallardos. The prime minister recalled that last year a third of Europe's entire burned area was in Spain, a stark illustration of the country's exposure. He urged individual and collective action before future fires strike.
