Almeria, Spain. Eleven people were killed in a wildfire in southern Spain as 150 firefighters worked to bring the blaze under control, Andalusia’s head of emergencies, Antonio Sanz, said. Four other people were being treated in hospital for serious burns, and search operations were continuing amid concerns that more people could be missing.
Fire spread rapidly near Los Gallardos
Sanz said the fire spread extremely rapidly in a wooded area around the town of Los Gallardos in Almería province, in the southern region of Andalusia. He said the nearby hamlet of Bedar was particularly affected.
Deaths occurred during attempted evacuations
Authorities told residents to stay in their homes, Sanz said, adding that the deaths appeared to have occurred when people decided to try to evacuate in their cars.
According to Sanz, four people died in one vehicle and appeared to be British because the car’s steering wheel was on the right-hand side. Seven others were found dead after apparently abandoning their cars and attempting to escape on foot along a route that was not part of the evacuation plan.
Authorities urge residents to follow instructions
Sanz urged residents to follow official instructions and avoid taking risks as authorities focused on saving lives. Authorities were continuing search operations amid concerns that additional people could be missing.
Deadliest wildfire in Spain since 2005
The death toll makes it Spain’s deadliest wildfire since 2005, when 11 firefighters were killed in a blaze in the central province of Guadalajara that was sparked by a barbecue and burned thousands of hectares of forest.
That disaster prompted major changes to Spain’s wildfire prevention and emergency response systems.
Prime minister expresses condolences
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he felt “enormous sadness and devastation” over the consequences of the fire. He offered condolences to the families of those killed and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
In a post on X, Sanchez said emergency services, security forces and the military emergency unit, UME, had been mobilised to combat the blaze and urged residents to exercise caution.
Regional context
The wildfire in Spain followed a separate blaze burning out of control in southern France earlier this week, which forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 people from two dozen small towns and villages near the Spanish border.
