At least 11 dead, 23 missing in Spain wildfire during heatwave

At least 11 people have been killed and 23 are unaccounted for after a fast-moving wildfire broke out in south-east Spain as the country endures its second heatwave of the summer.

The regional government of Andalucía said the victims, four of whom are believed to be British, had died while trying to flee the flames near the village of Bédar in the Los Gallardos municipality of Almería.

Fire weather – a combination of heat, drought and strong wind – is increasing across much of the world. 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.

“There are no words for such pain and I want to offer our condolences to the families of the dead,” Antonio Sanz, the region’s emergency minister, said on Friday morning. “This is terrible news and today the hearts of the people of Andalucía are in mourning.”

Sanz said emergency services were fighting a “terrible and very complex fire, which is spreading very fast”.

He said eight people had been injured – four of them seriously – and that the authorities were trying to establish whether there were any more victims of the fire, which broke out on Thursday.

According to Sanz, those who had been found dead had tried to flee despite official advice recommending that people stay put. He added that the fire had not reached Bédar.

“Unfortunately the decision to look for another way out through a ravine was a real trap,” he said. “Four people who died in one vehicle are thought to be British as the car they were found in was right-hand drive. Seven other people who had got out of their cars and were trying to walk out on a route that wasn’t the evacuation route suffered terrible consequences. It would appear that most of them were also foreigners, but their identification has yet to be confirmed.”

The Guardia Civil urged people trying to trace missing family members to go to their station in the nearby town of La Garrucha. “The main objective is to identify the missing people and to be able to take the DNA samples in order to identify the victims as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson said.

Sanz said efforts to bring in heavy fire-fighting machinery were being hindered by limited access and “terrible” topography. He added than 120 people, mainly from Bédar, had been evacuated to a sports centre.

By Friday morning, 150 firefighters were tackling the blaze and another 150 members of Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit were being deployed to help them.

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.

Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, the regional president, offered his condolences to all those affected by the fire, saying people were “shattered by grief”.

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, urged people to take extra care.

“We’re feeling immense sadness and desolation in the face of the terrible consequences of the fire affecting the province of Almería,” he said.

“I want to convey my condolences to the families of those who died in the Los Gallardos forest fire. My wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured and my solidarity with all the affected neighbours.”

In May, Sánchez said Spain would deploy its largest-ever summer wildfire response this year.

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

More than 3,930 sq km (1,500 sq miles) burned in Spain in 2025, according to the European Forest Fire Information System, making it the country’s worst wildfire year in recent history.

Agence France-Presse contributed to this report