Wildfire devastates an expat community in southern Spain, killing at
least 12 with 23 missing
[July 11, 2026]
By SUMAN NAISHADHAM
MADRID (AP) — A wildfire roared through a remote expat community in
southern Spain overnight, killing at least 12 people as victims tried to
flee the flames in cars and on foot, authorities said Friday. Eight
people were injured and 23 missing, Andalusia’s regional leader Juan
Manuel Moreno said.
The blaze, one of Spain's deadliest wildfires, broke out late Thursday
in a semi-arid area near the Sierra de Los Filabres mountains in Almeria
province, as the country has been dealing with soaring temperatures.
Most of the victims died after ignoring shelter-in-place instructions,
said Antonio Sanz, head of Andalusia’s emergency services. Some tried to
escape via a dry riverbed that “turned into a death trap,” he said.
Four victims were believed to be British nationals because the steering
wheel of their burned-out car was on the right side, as with British
vehicles, regional authorities said. Other unspecified nationals also
were believed to be among the dead, and the death toll was expected to
rise, authorities said.
Seven people died while on foot after abandoning their cars, Sanz said,
adding that most of the deceased were believed to be foreign nationals.
Dean Taylor, a resident who divides his time between Spain and the U.K.,
said he managed to just barely escape the neighborhood by using back
roads to get out.
“It was quite terrifying,” Taylor said in an interview with The
Associated Press. “It's a very sad day, isn’t it? It’s devastating,
really."
The blaze is a challenge for firefighters
The fire was still burning as of Friday afternoon. Some 150 firefighters
and 220 soldiers from Spain’s military emergency unit were battling the
blaze, which had consumed more than 3,200 hectares (7,900 acres) of
forest and farmland.
Moreno, the Andalusian regional leader, said containing the fire was
difficult because of the steep, dry terrain.
“It consists mainly of scrubland and esparto grass,” Moreno said.
“Everything is extremely dry due to the heat waves, making it the
perfect fuel; combined with the wind, it’s a ticking time bomb.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his condolences. “Immense
sadness and desolation in the face of the terrible consequences of the
fire affecting the province of Almeria,” he wrote on X.
Europe battles intense heat again
Spain has battled frequent and severe heat waves in recent years, with
temperatures often exceeding 40 C (104 F). Wind, high temperatures and
little rainfall help small wildfires grow into unchecked blazes.
In June, Spain experienced several days of record-setting heat, with
over 1,000 excess deaths attributed to heat.
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A firefighter truck next to a wildfire in Los Gallardos, near
Almeria, Spain, Friday, July 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Marrero)
Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures
increasing twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s,
according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Parts of Western Europe are facing their third heat wave in six
weeks. Globally, 2025 was the third-hottest year on record, bringing
several intense heat waves across Europe.
France also at risk of wildfires
France is experiencing the peak of its third heat wave of the
summer, with temperatures reaching 40 C (104 F) across western and
central areas and around 37 C (98 F) in Paris.
French authorities have also warned of a very high wildfire risk, as
large fires in the south have already scorched thousands of hectares
this week, disrupting the Tour de France cycling race and stretching
firefighting resources.
The largest wildfire, in the eastern Pyrenees near the Spanish
border, had decreased in intensity by Friday, authorities said. But
it has burned about 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) and forced the
temporary evacuation of more than 10,000 people from nearly
villages.
Last month was France’s hottest June on record, with deaths surging
by nearly a third during the hottest week.
Scientists warn that climate change caused in part by the burning of
fuels like gasoline, oil and coal is exacerbating the frequency and
intensity of heat and dryness, making certain regions more
vulnerable to wildfires.
Spain and Portugal have faced deadly fires before
Spain is no stranger to wildfires, with last year's fire season
burning more than 393,000 hectares (almost 1,520 square miles),
according to the European Forest Fire Information System, an area
twice as large as London. Four people died.
Spain's deadliest wildfire was in 1979 when 21 people perished in
Lloret de Mar, a coastal town about an hour north of Barcelona.
In 2017, a wildfire in neighboring Portugal left 66 people dead in
Pedrogao Grande, located 200 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of
Lisbon. In that blaze, 47 people died on one road while similarly
attempting to flee in their cars.
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Associated Press journalist Sylvie Corbet, in Paris, contributed.
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