Spain wildfire kills 12 in Almeria as victims die fleeing flames

Madrid,UPDATED: Jul 10, 2026 18:20 IST

At least 12 people were killed overnight into Friday in one of Spain's deadliest wildfires on record, as soaring temperatures gripped much of the country. The blaze in the southern province of Almeria has also left eight people injured, while 23 others are unaccounted for, according to Andalusia's regional leader Juan Manuel Moreno.

Authorities said several victims were found inside burnt-out vehicles and are believed to have died while trying to escape the flames. Regional emergency authorities said four British nationals and other foreign nationals appeared to be among the dead. Around 150 firefighters and 220 soldiers from Spain's military emergency unit were deployed to fight the fire, which has burned more than 3,200 hectares of forest and farmland.

The fire broke out in a hamlet in a semi-arid area near the Sierra de Los Filabres mountains. Authorities have not confirmed the cause, but said people who called in the fire reported that a fallen power line had sparked a blaze that spread quickly into a nearby forest.

Antonio Sanz, president of Andalusia's emergency services, said most of the victims died while trying to flee and had ignored shelter-in-place instructions. One group tried to escape through a dry riverbed, which "turned into a death trap", he said. Sanz said seven people died on foot after abandoning their cars, likely while searching for a way out. "The consequences have been terrible. Everything seems to indicate that, in the case of the deceased ... we are dealing for the most part, if not entirely, with foreign nationals," he said.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed his condolences. "Immense sadness and desolation in the face of the terrible consequences of the fire affecting the province of Almeria," he wrote on X.

Spain has faced frequent and severe heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures often crossing 40 degrees Celsius. Wind, high temperatures and low rainfall have helped small fires spread into major blazes. In June, Spain recorded several days of extreme heat, with more than 1,000 excess deaths linked to the weather. According to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with temperatures rising twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s. Parts of Western Europe are now facing their third heatwave in six weeks, while 2025 was the third-hottest year on record globally.

France is also dealing with the peak of its third heatwave of the summer, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius in western and central regions and around 37 degrees Celsius in Paris. French authorities have warned of a very high wildfire risk after major fires in the south scorched thousands of hectares this week, disrupted the Tour de France and stretched firefighting resources. The biggest blaze, in the eastern Pyrenees near the Spanish border, has eased in intensity, authorities said on Friday. It burned about 5,000 hectares and forced more than 10,000 people from nearby villages to leave their homes, though they have since been allowed to return. Last month was France's hottest June on record, with deaths rising by nearly a third during the hottest week. Scientists have warned that climate change, driven in part by the burning of fuels such as petrol, oil and coal, is worsening heat and dryness and making some regions more vulnerable to wildfires.

Spain is no stranger to such disasters. According to the European Forest Fire Information System, more than 3,93,000 hectares were burned in last year's fire season, with four deaths reported. In neighbouring Portugal, a 2017 wildfire in Pedrogao Grande, about 200 kilometres northeast of Lisbon, killed 66 people, including 47 who died on one road while trying to escape in their cars. The latest fire in Almeria has again shown how quickly such blazes can turn deadly during extreme heat.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends