Spain wildfire kills 12 in deadliest Andalusia blaze in years

At least 12 people were killed, 8 were injured and 23 were missing after flames raced from Los Gallardos into Bedar late Thursday, July 9, near the N-340 highway in Almeria province.

The fire spread fast across a semi-arid stretch below the Sierra de Los Filabres, driven by strong winds and dry scrubland and esparto grass. Several victims ignored shelter-in-place instructions, while others tried to flee in cars or on foot. Some were found inside burnt-out vehicles, and others died after abandoning their cars and walking along a dry riverbed.

By the time the flames were brought under partial control, the fire had consumed more than 3,200 hectares, or about 7,900 acres, of forest and farmland. More than 300 emergency personnel were deployed, including about 150 specialists from Spain’s Military Emergency Unit, while highways were closed and about 50 evacuated residents were sheltered in a local cultural center.

The death toll rose as more bodies were found in the burned zone, and a later count put 19 people unaccounted for instead of 23. Most of the dead were foreign nationals, including four people identified as British because their burned-out car had a right-hand steering wheel.

Juan Manuel Moreno coordinated the regional response as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed condolences and said emergency services had been mobilized. Sánchez said Spain’s wildfire prevention had been clearly insufficient after the 2025 fire season.

The disaster came amid a severe heatwave gripping Spain and Europe, with temperatures in southern Spain near 40C, or 104F. By July 10, Spain had burned about 57,000 hectares this year, while the European Commission’s fire monitoring system recorded 155,569 hectares across the EU since the start of 2026 as of July 8.