Spain wildfire death toll rises to 12 in Almería blaze

The death toll from the wildfire in Los Gallardos, in Spain’s southeastern Almería province, climbed to 12 after six more victims were found, with six people also injured. Around 150 firefighters were still battling the blaze, which the Andalusian regional government said killed people in Bédar, a hamlet in Almería province. Antonio Sanz, the Andalusian minister, called it “the most devastating fire to date” in the region and “an unprecedented tragedy.”

Some of the dead were found inside vehicles as people tried to escape, underscoring how quickly the fire overtook the area. Witnesses told authorities the blaze may have started after a power line fell and ignited dry vegetation, before spreading rapidly through surrounding woodland. The reports point to a fast-moving wildfire in terrain already primed to burn, with escape routes cut off as flames advanced through the hills.

The fire hit as Spain and other parts of southern Europe were gripped by extreme heat. On July 8, Spain’s state weather agency AEMET warned of very high temperatures across much of the country, with highs above 37C to 40C in many areas and 40C to 42C in some inland and Mediterranean zones. Those conditions left dry fuels exposed and raised the risk of ignition, while also shrinking the time available for warnings, evacuations and emergency response.

The Almería deaths also landed against a wider European pattern that has become harder to ignore. The European Commission Joint Research Centre said the European Union’s 2025 wildfire season was the worst on record, with 1,079,538 hectares burned across the bloc. Spain’s wildfire seasons have grown increasingly severe in recent years, adding pressure to regional emergency crews and civil-protection systems that are now being tested repeatedly by hotter summers and faster-moving fires.