Devastating fire in Almería forest, 12 dead as extreme heat hits Southern Europe

A major wildfire in Los Gallardos, in the southeastern province of Almería, has killed at least 12 people and injured six others, according to the regional authorities of Andalusia.

As the flames spread, around 1,000 residents have been forced to leave their homes, while several roads have been closed.

Authorities said some of the victims were found inside vehicles engulfed by the fire. Witnesses have raised suspicions that the cause may have been the collapse of a power line, but so far there has been no official confirmation.

About 150 firefighters, with support from the Military Emergency Unit (UME), are working to contain and control the flames near the village of Bédar. Of the injured, one person was taken to hospital after inhaling smoke, another suffered burns, while four others were treated at the scene for minor injuries and breathing difficulties.

The president of the Andalusian regional government, Juanma Moreno, described the incident as “a tragedy” and offered condolences to the families of the victims. Earlier, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had said the country would deploy its greatest capacity to deal with wildfires during the summer season.

The incident in Almería is part of a wave of fires sweeping Southern Europe, driven by high temperatures that in some areas are reaching 40-42 degrees Celsius. Hundreds of firefighters are also deployed in Portugal and France, while thousands of residents have been evacuated from threatened areas.

Data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) show that around 393,000 hectares of land burned in Spain last year, a figure more than six times above the average for 2006-2024. At the same time, the Copernicus climate service underlines that Europe is warming faster than any other continent in the world, making heatwaves and wildfires increasingly frequent and intense.

Experts warn that climate change is expected to continue increasing the risk of major fires in the Mediterranean region and other parts of Europe in the years ahead.