At least 11 people have died and 19 remain missing after a fast-moving wildfire swept through parts of Almería province in southern Spain.
Several victims were found inside or near vehicles after apparently attempting to flee the flames, according to officials in the Andalusian regional government.
Victims found inside vehicles
Andalusian regional president Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla confirmed the number of missing people on Friday as emergency crews continued searching the affected area.
Andalusia’s Minister for Health and Emergencies, Antonio Sanz, said residents had been instructed to remain inside their homes and seek shelter rather than attempt to leave independently.
Authorities believe several victims ignored those instructions and tried to escape by road.
Four people, believed to be British nationals because they were travelling in a right-hand-drive vehicle, were found dead inside the car, Sanz said.
Seven other victims were discovered after apparently abandoning their vehicles and attempting to escape on foot along a route that was not included in the official evacuation plan.
An initial report from the Andalusian government placed the death toll at 12, but authorities later revised the confirmed number to 11. Searches for further victims remain under way.
Fallen power cable suspected
The fire is believed to have started when a power cable came loose and fell onto dry scrubland, Antas mayor Pedro Ridao told Spanish public broadcaster TVE.
Ridao said strong afternoon winds caused the flames to spread rapidly, while the area’s numerous ravines complicated access for emergency crews.
The circumstances have drawn comparisons with the wildfire that struck neighbouring Portugal in June 2017, when more than 60 people died during a heatwave. Many of those victims were trapped inside vehicles while attempting to escape.
Sánchez expresses condolences
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed “enormous sadness” over the consequences of the fire and offered his condolences to the victims’ families.
He also urged emergency personnel working in the area to exercise extreme caution.
The number of deaths from the Almería fire has already exceeded the total number of wildfire fatalities recorded across Spain in 2025.
Heatwave increases fire risk
Spain has faced increasingly long periods of extreme heat during spring and summer, with temperatures frequently exceeding 40°C and creating conditions favourable to destructive wildfires.
Nearly 400,000 hectares were burned in Spain during 2025, according to the European Forest Fire Information System, making it the country’s worst wildfire year in modern records.
More than 8,000 fires were recorded during the year, killing eight people and injuring 86 others. More than 42,000 people were evacuated from their homes, according to Spain’s Interior Ministry.
Several parts of Andalusia had already been placed under an orange weather warning as another heatwave affected the country.
In late May, Sánchez said Spain would deploy its largest-ever summer force to combat wildfires.
Several fires have broken out across the country in recent days, including one in Catalonia that burned more than 2,000 hectares near the popular Costa Brava tourist region. That fire has since been brought under control.
Source: AMNA
