MADRID: At least 12 people have died and 19 others are missing after a wildfire swept through a wooded area in southern Spain, regional authorities said Thursdaywith early indications suggesting that several of the victims were British nationals.
The blaze broke out near the town of Los Gallardos in the province of Almería and is believed to have been caused by a downed power line, according to Andalusia’s regional leader, Juanma Moreno. The fire spread rapidly through the parched countryside amid a sustained heatwave that has pushed temperatures to around 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
Moreno confirmed the death toll, although Antonio Sanz, Andalusia’s health and emergencies minister, cautioned that the number was provisional. Sanz said the fire had been “complex and rapid” and that the majority, or possibly all, of the victims may have been foreign nationals.
The bodies of 11 victims were found in and around the small village of Bédar, just outside Los Gallardos. Sanz said four people were found trapped in their car, while other victims were discovered elsewhere, apparently while trying to escape the flames. He said the four in the vehicle were believed to be “of British origin,” noting that the car had a steering wheel on the right.
Hundreds of firefighters and emergency personnel are battling the blaze, and Spain’s Military Emergency Unit, which is deployed for major crises, said it would join the efforts in Los Gallardos.
The disaster comes as southern Europe endures a punishing summer heatwave. Hundreds of firefighters are also battling major wildfires in France and Portugal, where thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate their homes.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in May that the country would deploy its largest-ever summer wildfire response this year, local media reported. The need for such resources has grown as Spain experiences record-breaking temperatures. In June, the country recorded its highest daily average temperature since 1950 and saw its hottest June days on record. Forecasts have called for temperatures as high as 42 C (107.6 F) in some parts of the country.
Last year, a record 393,000 hectares (971,000 acres) burned in Spain, according to the European Forest Fire Information System — more than six times the country’s average annual burn area between 2006 and 2024.
Scientists say climate change is driving the increase in extreme weather. Europe is the fastest-warming continent, heating up at twice the global average rate, according to the Copernicus climate service. This trend is leading to more intense summer heatwaves, greater strain on water supplies and more severe wildfire seasons.
The European Union recorded its worst wildfire season on record last year, with more than 1 million hectares burning across the bloc. A separate study by the World Weather Attribution group at Imperial College London has directly linked the worsening fire seasons in the Mediterranean to climate change.