Antonio Sanz said emergency services were fighting a “terrible and very complex fire” after a fast-moving wildfire broke out in Almería, Spain, on Thursday and killed at least 11 people. By Friday morning, 23 people were still unaccounted for, and crews were still working through the burned area near Bédar and Los Gallardos.
Eight people were injured, including four who were seriously hurt. The regional government of Andalucía said four of the victims were believed to be British. Antonio Sanz also said the victims had tried to flee the flames and that some were caught after taking the wrong route out.
Guardia Civil in La Garrucha
More than 120 people, mainly from Bédar, had been evacuated to a sports centre, while 150 firefighters were tackling the blaze and another 150 members of Spain's Military Emergencies Unit were being deployed to help them. The Guardia Civil told people tracing missing family members to go to its station in La Garrucha, where identification efforts were being concentrated.
Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla offered his condolences to people affected by the fire, and Pedro Sánchez said: “We’re feeling immense sadness and desolation in the face of the terrible consequences of the fire affecting the province of Almería.” He also said: “I want to convey my condolences to the families of those who died in the Los Gallardos forest fire.”
Cause of the wildfire
Authorities had not said what started the fire. Witnesses told officials the blaze may have begun after a power line fell and ignited dry vegetation, a version that points to infrastructure failure rather than a deliberate act. The fire broke out during Spain's second heatwave of the summer, with heat, drought and strong wind helping it spread across difficult ground where heavy machinery could not move easily.
The immediate task now is finding the 23 people still unaccounted for and checking whether they were among the evacuees or among those who fled by car and on foot. Families dealing with the dead, the injured and the missing were being directed toward La Garrucha, while firefighters and Spain's Military Emergencies Unit kept working through Friday morning.
