Malcolm Timbrell, 70, survived the deadly wildfires that tore through the Spanish village of Bédar on Thursday night by taking refuge in a car as flames engulfed four of the six vehicles around him. But his wife, Annette Kilgore, 69, a former A Place in the Sun guest, is among the missing. "We are just waiting now for DNA clarification. And after that, I will probably just fall apart," Timbrell told the BBC.
The couple, originally from Cornwall, had bought their dream stone cottage in Bédar for £200,000 after appearing on the Channel 4 property show in 2023. They were separated as the fire raced towards their home. "If we had done the sensible thing and gone the other way and let our cats die, we both would be alive. But when you've got animals, you don't think like that," Timbrell said.
“Seven Britons killed in Spain wildfires; survivor Malcolm Timbrell awaits DNA confirmation for missing wife.”
Seven Britons are among the 13 victims of the wildfires in Spain's Almería province, authorities confirmed on Tuesday after completing post-mortem examinations. Twelve of the 13 were foreign nationals. Seven were from the UK, three from Belgium, one from France, and one from the United States. The victims were eight women and five men, all adults.
Among the British dead were Pete and Fran Gillam, also from Bédar. Their daughter Danielle Gillam-Kirton, from Sheffield, wrote on Facebook: "Heartbroken to share that we have received confirmation from the police that Mum and Dad did not survive the fire."
The other victims included Spanish geologist Pedro Rodríguez and his American wife, Ana Sims, and Belgian photographer Stanislas Verdonckt. Nearly 1,500 people were evacuated from the province as firefighters battled the blaze, which burned through about 7,000 hectares before being contained. Spain has suffered frequent severe heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures often exceeding 40C.
Timbrell described watching the fire consume the cars around him: "For some reason of fate, the last two cars, although very, very badly singed and paint bubbled and burnt, survived. And I survived inside the last one with a cat." He added: "We have had an amazing life together and now it's stopped."