Andalusia wildfire kills 12, victims found trapped in cars after power line sparks blaze

Fire breaks out overnight

On Thursday evening, a wildfire ignited in the province of Almería, near the towns of Los Gallardos and Bedar. Witnesses reported a fallen power line that sparked on dry brush; officials have not confirmed the cause but strong winds and temperatures exceeding 40°C quickly drove the flames through forested terrain. By Friday morning, the blaze had grown into a fast‑moving front, forcing the evacuation of five villages.

Victims trapped in cars

Authorities have now confirmed 12 fatalities, with at least 19 people still unaccounted for, according to Andalusian president Juanma Moreno. The regional emergency chief, Antonio Sanz, said most victims appeared to be foreigners who ignored instructions to shelter in place and instead attempted to flee by car. Rescuers discovered four bodies inside a right‑hand‑drive vehicle, likely occupied by British nationals, and seven others near abandoned cars after they tried to escape on foot along an unplanned route. Four other people were hospitalized with severe burns.

This is the most destructive fire that has ever occurred in the region. We are facing an unprecedented tragedy.

Evacuations and response

Roughly 1,000 residents were relocated to temporary shelters, including about 50 people housed at a local cultural center. A campsite near Bedar was also cleared preemptively, even though flames had not yet reached it; its manager, Daniel Jackson, said authorities warned that a wind shift could suddenly endanger the site. More than 150 firefighters, the military’s emergency unit, and regional forest‑fire brigades are battling the flames, while several local roads remain closed.

Deadliest fire in decades

The fire already ranks among Spain’s deadliest. Only two other blazes, the 1979 fire in Lloret de Mar, which killed 21 people, and the 1984 event on La Gomera, which killed 20, claimed more lives, according to Diario Sur. A 2005 fire in Guadalajara killed 11 firefighters. The current death toll surpasses any Andalusian forest fire in modern records. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed deep sorrow on social media, calling the losses a 'shock' and promising a full investigation.

I want to express my enormous sadness and shock at the terrible consequences of the fire affecting the province of Almería. My condolences to the families of the deceased in the Los Gallardos forest fire. I wish a speedy recovery to the injured and express my solidarity with all affected residents.

Climate and the drying landscape

Spain has suffered increasingly severe wildfire seasons, fuelled by longer heat waves that now begin in spring and stretch through summer. Temperatures regularly cross 40°C, parching vegetation and turning small sparks into infernos. The European Forest Fire Information System reported that in 2025, flames consumed 393,000 hectares, six times the 2006‑2024 average, killing eight people, injuring 86, and forcing 42,000 to evacuate. Experts link the trend to climate change, and authorities warn that this summer may bring further devastation.