Wildfire in southern Spain kills at least 12
A wildfire in Almeria province in Spain’s southern Andalusia region has killed at least 12 people, regional authorities said, making it the deadliest fire in the region’s recorded history. The blaze began Thursday afternoon near the N-340 highway in Los Gallardos and spread to neighboring Bedar, driven by strong winds; several victims were found trapped in vehicles as they tried to escape a rural hamlet. Six people were injured and 19 were initially reported missing. A downed power line is a suspected cause, though the investigation continues.
More than 300 emergency personnel, including 150 military specialists, were deployed against the fire. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez mobilized security forces and offered condolences, and regional leader Antonio Sanz called it “an unprecedented tragedy.”
The fire follows unusually hot, dry conditions across Western Europe, where May and June heatwaves left large areas of vegetation parched. Europe is warming at roughly twice the global average, which lengthens the window in which fires of this speed and lethality can start and spread.