Deadly wildfire in southern Spain kills at least 12 people

A wildfire that tore through a remote expat community near the Sierra de Los Filabres mountains in Almeria province killed at least 12 people, injured eight and left 23 missing. By Friday, the fire had burned more than 3,200 hectares, or about 7,900 acres, of forest and farmland.

Officials said the dead included people who ignored shelter-in-place instructions and tried to flee through a dry riverbed as flames moved quickly across steep, dry ground. The region’s scrubland and esparto grass fed the fire, while strong winds pushed it farther through the hills, making containment difficult for crews on the ground.

Around 150 firefighters were joined by about 220 soldiers from Spain’s military emergency unit to protect homes and thinly populated settlements in the area. Witnesses pointed to a fallen powerline that ignited dry vegetation, but authorities had not confirmed the cause.

Among the dead, officials believed four were British nationals, based on a burned vehicle found at the scene with a right-hand steering wheel. The fire tore through a landscape that had been dried out by weeks of severe heat, with temperatures in southern Spain nearing 40C.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed condolences, while Andalusia’s emergency chief Antonio Sanz called the deaths an unprecedented tragedy. Juan Manuel Moreno, the regional leader, said the blaze was the most devastating in Andalusia to date. The fire was Spain’s deadliest wildfire since 2005, when 11 firefighters were killed in the Guadalajara fire.