Spain wildfire kills at least 12 people, with some victims found in vehicles

A wildfire that ripped through a hamlet in southern Spain killed 12 people, authorities said Friday, as a heatwave stifled swathes of the country.

Some of the dead in Bedar in Almeria province were found in vehicles, the regional government said in a statement. 

Formal identifications are still under way after the blaze swept through the Los Gallardos area of Almeria province, but "everything appears to indicate that the majority, or possibly all, of those who died were foreigners," said Antonio Sanz, Andalusia's minister for emergencies.

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Eight people have been injured and a further 23 are unaccounted for, Andalusia’s regional leader Juan Manuel Moreno said. Some 150 firefighters and 220 soldiers from Spain’s military emergency unit were battling the blaze, which has consumed more than 3,200 hectares of forest and farmland.

Regional emergency authorities said four British nationals and other unspecified foreign nationals appeared to be among the dead.

Sanz called the deaths "an unprecedented tragedy", adding in the statement that "the pain is immense".

Witnesses told authorities the blaze may have started after a power line fell, igniting dry vegetation before spreading rapidly through surrounding woodland.

Authorities have not confirmed the cause of the fire.

Roads were closed and residents evacuated as the inferno spread, with about 50 people housed in a cultural centre. 

Read moreWestern Europe records its hottest June after searing heatwave

Frequent heatwaves 

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on X that he was "deeply saddened and devastated by the terrible consequences of the wildfire".

He said in May that Spain would deploy its largest-ever summer wildfire response this year.

The head of the regional government of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, called the blaze "a tragedy".

"Our hearts are heavy and we are devastated by grief," he wrote on X.

The wildfire comes as Spain swelters in a heatwave, with scorching temperatures triggering orange weather warnings – the second highest level – across parts of Andalusia in recent days.

Spain has experienced increasingly frequent and prolonged heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures often exceeding 40C, creating conditions for major wildfires.

The country registered its third-warmest year on record in 2025, with 25 single-day heat records set during the period, national weather agency AEMET said.

Earlier this month, hundreds of firefighters battled a wildfire that raged near the popular Mediterranean tourist destination of Costa Brava and forced thousands to stay indoors.

Strong winds whipped up the fire and prompted regional authorities to urge residents of 10 municipalities to remain at home, including at the popular Platja d'Aro beach resort.

Deadly wildfires devoured almost 400,000 hectares of land last year, the highest figure recorded for the country by the European Forest Fire Information System.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and AP)