At Least 11 Dead and 19 Missing After ‘Extremely Fast-Moving’ Wildfire

At least 11 people have died and 19 remain missing after a fast-moving wildfire tore through southern Spain, turning roads into death traps and forcing residents to flee in extreme heat.

The fire broke out near Los Gallardos in Almería, part of Spain’s southern Andalusia region, and has become one of the country’s deadliest wildfires in recent history.

Emergency crews battled the blaze through the early hours of Friday, July 10, with about 150 firefighters working in the area. The region has been baking in temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Spain’s State Meteorological Agency, as much of Europe continues to suffer through a brutal stretch of extreme heat.

Western Europe recently recorded its hottest June ever, and more than 40 people died in France alone during a heat wave last month.

Juanma Moreno, the leader of the Regional Government of Andalusia, told local radio station Cadena Sur that the fire was likely caused by power lines. He also urged residents to follow instructions from emergency services as crews continued trying to bring the disaster under control.

Antonio Sanz Cabello, Andalusia’s health and emergencies minister, called the wildfire “truly tragic” during a Friday morning briefing.

Officials said the victims died in two separate situations while trying to escape the flames near the small village of Bédar, just outside Los Gallardos.

In one case, four people believed to be British nationals died inside a vehicle after they reportedly tried to take a different path instead of following the designated evacuation route.

In another incident, seven people died after they are believed to have abandoned their vehicles and tried to escape on foot. Officials are still working to determine exactly what happened.

“All indications suggest the deceased were mostly or entirely foreign nationals, though this cannot be confirmed until formal identification is established,” Sanz Cabello said.

Eight people have been injured in the fire. Four suffered serious burns and were expected to be transferred from the smaller Torre Cárdenas Hospital to the larger Virgen del Rocío Hospital. Another four people sustained less serious injuries.

Sanz Cabello said the INFOCA Plan, which is designed to protect Andalusia from forest fires, had been activated. Firefighters were being assisted by law enforcement, local councils and Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit.

He described the blaze as “extremely fast-moving” and said many people living in the area had been affected.

Numerous homes were evacuated, while some residents were ordered to shelter in place. Officials said 122 people, mostly from Bédar, were relocated to a local theater and a sports center.

Moreno confirmed that dozens of people were still missing and expressed concern that the death toll could rise further.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez shared his condolences in a post on X, describing the “immense sadness and desolation” caused by the disaster.

“My wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured and my solidarity with all the affected neighbors,” he wrote.

The fire comes as Europe faces another punishing summer of extreme heat and dangerous fire conditions. Spain depends heavily on emergency fire crews each summer, but the combination of high temperatures, dry vegetation and fast-changing winds can make wildfires especially deadly.