Four Britons are believed to be among the 12 people killed in one of Spain’s deadliest wildfires, which continued to burn in the south‑east on Saturday as emergency services searched for 23 people still missing.
The four were found dead inside a burnt‑out car in the Los Gallardos area of Almería, Andalusia’s health and emergencies minister, Antonio Sanz, confirmed. The vehicle had a right‑hand steering wheel, leading authorities to believe the victims were “of British origin”.
“Four Britons among 12 killed in Spain's worst wildfire; 23 missing, search ongoing.”
The fire, which tore through 6,600 hectares (16,300 acres) of land, broke out on Thursday afternoon and spread with alarming speed, fuelled by soaring temperatures of around 40C (104C), incredibly dry ground and powerful winds. A sustained heatwave has triggered wildfires across southern Europe this summer, particularly in France, Portugal and Spain.
The cause has been attributed to a fallen power line, though local electricity companies have denied responsibility.
Sanz said on Saturday that weather conditions had improved overnight, “allowing us to face the day with better prospects than yesterday”. He added: “This is the first day we will be able to mount a direct attack on the fire. Until now, weather conditions and the behaviour of the blaze only allowed us to work defensively.”
Among those who fled the flames was Lucinda Curtois, a British holidaymaker who arrived in Bedar with her partner and teenage children on Thursday. She described the scene as “almost like there was a mushroom cloud of smoke, it was like a bomb had gone off”.
Curtois told the BBC she feared at least two other UK nationals had been killed. “They left their home on foot, I don’t know why,” she said. “I can only presume it was probably because their road was cut off because they live out in the countryside.”
Officials in Bedar said some of those who died had not taken a recommended evacuation route, though it remains unclear how well that guidance was communicated.
Hundreds of firefighters and military personnel have been deployed to contain the blaze, with pockets of flame still burning around the village of Bedar. The number of dead could rise, local officials have warned, as the search for the missing continues.