A devastating wildfire that swept through a hamlet in southern Spain has killed 12 people and injured at least six others, authorities said on Friday, as an intense heatwave continues to grip large parts of the country.
The blaze broke out near the hamlet of Bédar, in the Almería province, where around 150 firefighters supported by fire engines battled flames fuelled by scorching temperatures approaching 40C and difficult terrain.
The regional government of Andalusia confirmed the death toll had risen after six additional victims were found.
‘The number of people who died in the fire in Los Gallardos has risen to 12 after the confirmation of six more deaths,’ the regional government said in a statement.
Regional emergency chief Antonio Sanz described the disaster as ‘an unprecedented tragedy’, adding that ‘the pain is immense’.
Officials said several victims were discovered in vehicles, while others died after abandoning their cars as they attempted to escape the advancing flames.
Sanz said some of those who lost their lives had ignored evacuation routes designated by emergency services.
‘Unfortunately, the decision of some people to take evacuation routes that weren’t those indicated by the emergency services and take an alternative route became a mortal trap,’ he said. ‘There were two scenarios like that specifically. One was a vehicle in which four people died, with everything pointing to them being of British origin. Their steering wheel was on the other side from the side it’s normally on in Spain.’
‘Then another seven people died in another scenario,’ he said. ‘They were walking and had abandoned their cars and were probably looking for a way out. But they had taken a route which wasn’t the one indicated by the emergency services and the consequences have been terrible.’
The four people believed to have been British have not yet been formally identified.
At least six people were injured in the fire, including a woman who suffered burns and another person treated in hospital for smoke inhalation. Four others received treatment at the scene for minor burns and respiratory problems caused by heavy smoke.
Witnesses told authorities the blaze may have started after a power line fell, igniting dry vegetation before rapidly spreading through surrounding woodland, although officials have not confirmed the cause.
The fire prompted more than 150 emergency calls. Roads were closed, residents were evacuated and around 50 people were accommodated in a local cultural centre as the flames spread. Spain’s Military Emergency Unit (UME) was due to reinforce firefighting operations.
Sanz said firefighters faced exceptionally difficult conditions.
‘The fire situation is complex. It’s a fire in a very large ravine that machinery hasn’t been able to reach, with no access points. The topography is extremely difficult,’ he said.
‘The updated fire perimeter is estimated at about 3,150 hectares burned. During our response to this fire, we have had a large number of personnel on the ground – 464 firefighters with 124 vehicles.’
‘[There are] 21 firefighting stations, comprising of 150 firefighters, 9 trucks, 18 operations technicians, and environmental agents.’
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was ‘deeply saddened and devastated by the terrible consequences of the wildfire’.
The head of the Andalusian regional government, Juanma Moreno, also expressed his condolences, describing the disaster as ‘a tragedy’.
‘Our hearts are heavy and we are devastated by grief,’ he wrote on X.
The wildfire comes as Spain endures another severe heatwave, with orange weather warnings – the country’s second-highest alert level – issued across parts of Andalusia in recent days.
Spain has experienced increasingly frequent and prolonged heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures regularly exceeding 40C and creating ideal conditions for major wildfires.
The national weather agency AEMET said 2025 was Spain’s third-warmest year on record, with 25 single-day temperature records set during the year.
Earlier this month, hundreds of firefighters battled another major wildfire near the Costa Brava, where strong winds forced thousands of residents to remain indoors, including in the popular resort of Platja d’Aro.
According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), more than 393,000 hectares of land burned across Spain in 2025, making it the country’s worst wildfire year in recent history.
Scientists say increasingly dangerous ‘fire weather’ – driven by prolonged heat, drought and strong winds – is becoming more common across many parts of the world. Research has linked human-caused climate change to a greater likelihood of large wildfires and larger areas burned in southern Europe and several other regions, while globally the average wildfire season has lengthened by around two weeks.
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📍 En el Puesto de Mando Avanzado del #IFLosGallardos, coordinando la respuesta a esta emergencia.
— Antonio Sanz Cabello (@antoniosanz) July 10, 2026
148 personas permanecen realojadas.
Mi cariño y condolencias a las familias de las 11 víctimas mortales.
Gracias al @Plan_INFOCA, sanitarios, @guardiacivil, bomberos, Fuerzas y… pic.twitter.com/knzuE2dX0Z
#IFLosGallardos | Con 12 muertos, el incendio forestal en Los Gallardos, Almería, es el que más víctimas mortales ha provocado en Andalucía desde que hay registroshttps://t.co/u6HescOmcX pic.twitter.com/bLfEHvMqPa
— RTVE Noticias (@rtvenoticias) July 10, 2026
🔴 #IFLosGallardos (#Almería). Estas imágenes nos ayudan a entender la magnitud de este incendio y las condiciones en las que han trabajado los bomberos forestales. pic.twitter.com/YCUFZ39OQt
— EMA INFOCA (@Plan_INFOCA) July 10, 2026
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