A forest fire that broke out yesterday, Thursday afternoon, near Almería, in Andalusia, in southern Spain, claimed the lives of 12 people, some of whom were found inside their cars, according to authorities, who announced this tragic death toll in the early morning hours—a toll heavier than that of the entire year of 2025.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed “deep sorrow” over the “tragic consequences of the fire ravaging the province of Almería,” offering his “condolences” to the victims’ families and urging emergency response workers to exercise “great caution.”
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A country on the front lines of climate change, Spain has been plagued in recent years by increasingly prolonged heat waves, in the spring and summer, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 40° Celsius and creating conditions conducive to devastating wildfires.
In 2025, nearly 4 million stremmata were reduced to ashes due to wildfires in Spain, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS)—this was the worst toll in the modern history of the Iberian country. In last year’s fires—more than 8,000 in total—8 people lost their lives, another 86 were injured, and more than 42,000 had to be evacuated from their homes, according to figures from the Ministry of the Interior.
The regional government of Andalusia reported early this morning that the fire in the municipality of Los Gallardos claimed the lives of 12 people. Earlier, emergency services in the region had reported six deaths “in the town of Bendar, some of whom were found inside their cars.”
Some 150 firefighters with five vehicles were working to contain the fire on the night of Thursday into Friday.
The UME, a Spanish Army unit specialized in responding to the most difficult emergencies, will be deployed to the area “in the coming hours,” local authorities reported.
Residents from various areas were urgently evacuated from the region. A woman with burns and another person, who suffered smoke inhalation, were taken to a hospital.
Four more people received on-site medical care, as they were experiencing “respiratory problems” and some had “minor burns,” according to Andalusian authorities.
About fifty residents were expected to spend the night at a cultural center that had been converted into a shelter for fire victims, while many roads have been cut off.
Emergency services “received over 150 calls from citizens” reporting the fire, with the first reports stating that “the flames were at the 511th kilometer of (national highway) N-340A and that a cable had fallen, causing the fire, which was spreading “rapidly” through a forested area near the road.
Spain is currently experiencing another heat wave, and several regions in Andalusia had already been placed under an orange alert.
TRAGEDY DUE TO FOREST FIRE IN ALMERÍA, SPAIN
A forest fire in Los Gallardos, Almería, Spain, left at least 12 people dead and forced the evacuation of residents from several affected areas. The flames spread rapidly and reached nearby homes.… pic.twitter.com/BwLak3Tf3X
— Nuestro Diario (@NuestroDiario) July 10, 2026
In late May, Prime Minister Sánchez assured that Spain would deploy the “largest” force ever assembled to combat wildfires this summer.
In recent days, several fires have broken out across Spain, notably one that burned more than 20,000 stremmata in Catalonia (northwest), just a few kilometers from the popular tourist destination of the Costa Brava. That fire has now been brought under control.
