Spain wildfire kills 12, leaves 23 missing amid heatwave
A fast-moving blaze near Los Gallardos and Bédar killed 12 people, left 23 missing and burned about 25 square miles, roughly the size of Manhattan.
A wildfire near Los Gallardos and Bédar in Spain’s Almería province killed at least 12 people, left 23 missing and scorched about 25 square miles of forest and farmland as crews battled to stop it spreading through rugged terrain. The burned area was roughly the size of Manhattan, a measure that underscored how quickly the blaze cut across the landscape during a severe heatwave.
Officials said the fire moved fast enough to trap people as they tried to flee, with some victims found in vehicles. Eight others were injured. The dead were described as mostly foreign residents or visitors from Belgium or Britain, a detail that pointed to the expat communities scattered across southern Spain’s rural hills and coastal areas.
About 150 firefighters were working to contain the blaze, backed by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Light winds and higher humidity were helping crews make some progress, but the fire had already torn through difficult ground and cut off escape routes in parts of the affected area. The Emergency Agency of Andalusia and Spain’s Military Emergency Unit were among the forces deployed as the Andalusian regional government tried to slow the spread.
Andalusian leader Juan Manuel Moreno said 23 people were missing and eight were injured, while regional officials described the blaze as the most devastating fire to date in Andalusia and one of the deadliest in the region’s history. Antonio Sanz also warned of the scale of the destruction as authorities worked to account for those still missing.
The disaster landed amid extreme temperatures across Spain and neighboring Portugal, where dry conditions and prolonged heat have raised wildfire risk and stretched emergency services. Spanish officials have warned for days that the combination of heat, drought and rugged land use is turning recurring summer fire seasons into a more dangerous test of preparedness, even in wealthier countries that are supposed to have the resources to harden communities before the flames arrive.
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