Spain wildfires killed at least 11 people and left 19 missing in a wooded area around Los Gallardos, Almería, where flames spread quickly through dry ground and forced emergency services to evacuate 1,000 residents. Juanma Moreno said the fire appeared to have been caused by a downed power line.
Moreno posted, “Our hearts are heavy and we are devastated by grief.” The bodies of the 11 victims were found in and around Bédar, just outside Los Gallardos, while four people were found trapped in their car and one person was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation.
Los Gallardos and Bédar
Antonio Sanz said the fire had been complex and rapid. Four people were treated at the scene for minor burns and respiratory problems caused by heavy smoke, and the blaze also led to road closures. Sanz said the majority or even all of the victims may have been foreign nationals, while a local official said early indications suggested four of the victims are British.
The car found in the fire had a steering wheel on the right, a detail that fit the early indications about the victims. That leaves the missing count and the nationality of the dead at the center of the search, with no final tally yet for how many of the 19 missing will be found.
Andalusia Emergency Response
Spain's Military Emergency Unit said it would join firefighting efforts in Los Gallardos as firefighters and emergency services worked across the area. The fire broke out during a severe heatwave, with Spain reaching its highest daily average since 1950 in June and temperatures as high as 42C forecast in some parts of Spain.
The scale of the blaze also fits a wider regional emergency. Firefighters and emergency services have been battling major incidents in France, Portugal and Spain, while Europe is heating up twice as fast as the global average and 393,000 hectares burned in Spain last year.
The open question is how many of the 19 missing people will be found and whether the death toll rises beyond 11 as crews keep working around Los Gallardos and Bédar.
