Wildfires in southern Spain kill 12 amid soaring temperatures

 

Wildfires in southern Spain kill 12 amid soaring temperatures

 

Wildfire comes as Spain suffers a heatwave, with scorching temperatures triggering orange weather warnings

 

Agence France-Presse

Fri 10 Jul 2026 02.35 BST

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/10/wildfire-southern-spain-temperatures-almeria-los-gallardos-bedar

 

Twelve people were reported killed in a wildfire in Almeria in southern Spain, as about 150 firefighters battled the blaze which broke out amid soaring temperatures.

 

“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 of Andalusia said in a statement.

 

The deaths took place in the hamlet of Bedar, the regional government said in a statement, adding that the fire injured at least six people, including a woman who suffered burns and another person with smoke inhalation who was taken to hospital.

 

Four others were treated at the scene for minor burns and respiratory problems caused by heavy smoke.

 

Authorities have not confirmed the cause of the fire, but witnesses told officials the blaze may have started after a power line fell, igniting dry vegetation before spreading rapidly through surrounding woodland.

 

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

 

Spain’s military emergency unit, which is deployed in major emergencies, was due to join firefighting efforts in the coming hours.

 

 

The head of the regional government of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, expressed his condolences to the families of the people who died, calling it “a tragedy”.

 

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

 

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

 

Prime minister Pedro Sánchez said in May that Spain would deploy its largest-ever summer wildfire response this year.

 

Fire weather – a combination of heat, drought and strong wind – is increasing in some parts of all continents. Human-caused climate breakdown is responsible for a higher likelihood of fire and bigger burned areas in southern Europe, northern Eurasia, the US and Australia, with some scientific evidence of increases in southern China. Climate breakdown has increased the wildfire season by about two weeks on average across the globe.

 

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

 

More than 393,000 hectares (971,000 acres) burned in Spain in 2025, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), making it the country’s worst wildfire year in recent history.