Wildfire Near Almeria Kills 12 and Leaves Nearly 20 Unaccounted For

Cnn reported that a wildfire near Almeria on Spain’s Mediterranean coast killed at least 12 people and left nearly 20 unaccounted for on Thursday. Four others suffered severe burns in the blaze, which spread rapidly through dry vegetation. The fire is the first in Europe in 2026 to claim multiple victims.

Two other large fires broke out in France this week, including one in the Pyrenees that forced the evacuation of 12,000 people. A separate major fire burned in central Portugal, with satellite imagery showing smoke plumes drifting into the Atlantic.

Cnn reported that European Union countries recorded 314 fires exceeding 30 hectares each in 2026 through early July, nearly double the 158 recorded by the same date in 2025.

The total area burned reached 160,000 hectares by July 8, above the 2006–2025 average of just under 100,000 hectares. The 314-fire count is the second-highest since 2016. France recorded its hottest day ever on June 24.

More than 2,000 deaths during the last week of June were attributed to heat, a 29 percent increase from the prior week, according to French health minister Stéphanie Rist. Air-conditioning ownership in French households rose to 24 percent in 2026 from 18 percent two years earlier.

French utility EDF said it will reduce output at the Nogent nuclear plant on the River Seine starting Tuesday because of high water temperatures.

A reactor on the Garonne river in southwestern France already suspended production after water reached 28 degrees Celsius. Grain trade association Coceral cut its 2026 forecast for EU and UK corn output to 52.7 million tons from 57.2 million tons the previous month. The French corn harvest is now projected below 10 million tons, the lowest in two decades.