A forest fire that broke out late Thursday near Almería, in Andalusia, in southern Spain, left 12 dead, some of whom were found in their vehicles, a dramatic toll that exceeds that of all of 2025.
“Immense sadness and desolation in the face of the terrible consequences of the fire which is affecting the province of Almería,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez reacted on X, offering his condolences to the families of the victims and calling for “great caution”.
A country on the front line of global warming, Spain has experienced increasingly long heat waves in recent years, starting in spring and then summer, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 40°C, creating the conditions for devastating fires.
150 firefighters mobilized
In 2025, more than 393,000 hectares were ravaged by flames in Spain, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), the worst fires in the country’s recent history. In these fires, more than 8,000 in total, eight people were killed, 86 injured and more than 42,000 evacuated, according to the Interior Ministry.
Early Friday, the regional government of Andalusia reported that a fire started Thursday afternoon in Los Gallardos in Andalusia left 12 people dead, according to a statement. Earlier, the region’s services had communicated a death toll of six, and specified that “the deaths occurred in a hamlet of Bédar and some were found in vehicles.” Some 150 firefighters and five tanker trucks were mobilized during the night from Thursday to Friday, according to the same source.
During the night, the regional authorities triggered “the emergency phase, operational situation 2, of the plan (firefighting premises, i.e. the second highest level, Editor’s note), in the face of the evolution and high potential of the fire”, adds the press release.
The Military Emergency Unit (UME), the army emergency unit dedicated to the most delicate emergency situations, “will be deployed in the coming hours on the ground,” the authorities added. Residents of several neighborhoods were evacuated due to the disaster and a woman, injured by burns, and another person, poisoned by smoke, were taken to a local hospital.
“The most important” device ever mobilized
“Four other people were treated on site for respiratory illnesses and minor burns,” said the regional authorities of Andalusia. Around fifty people are also housed in a cultural center and several roads have been cut due to the disaster.
The emergency number “handled more than 150 calls from citizens reporting the fire; the first indicated that the flames were at kilometer 511 of the (national road) N-340A. In these first warnings, witnesses indicated that a cable had fallen, causing the fire, and that the flames had spread quickly to the forest area close to the road,” the press release concluded.
A heat wave is currently crossing Spain, and several areas of Andalusia have been placed on orange alert in recent days. At the end of May, Pedro Sanchez assured that Spain would deploy “the most important” device ever mobilized against fires during the summer. In recent days, several fires have broken out on Spanish territory, including one now under control, which ravaged more than 2,000 hectares in Catalonia (north-east), just a few kilometers from the very touristy Costa Brava.
