Wildfire in southern Spain kills at least 11 people

A wildfire that broke out in a hamlet near the Sierra de Los Filabres mountains in southern Spain’s Almeria province killed at least 11 people as of early Friday. Several victims were found inside burnt-out vehicles. Eight others were injured. Callers who reported the blaze said a fallen power line had sparked it. The fire then spread rapidly into a nearby forest.

Emergency services closed roads and evacuated 1,000 residents.

One hundred fifty firefighters and 220 soldiers from Spain’s military emergency unit battled the blaze. Regional emergency authorities said four British nationals and other unspecified foreign nationals were among the victims. Andalusia’s regional leader Juan Manuel Moreno said on Cadena Ser radio that 19 people remained unaccounted for.

Authorities had initially reported 12 deaths before revising the toll Friday morning.

Most victims died while attempting to flee and ignored shelter-in-place instructions, said Antonio Sanz, president of Andalusia’s emergency services. One group fled via a dry riverbed that turned into a death trap. Seven people died on foot after abandoning their cars.

Spain experienced several days of record-setting heat in June, with over 1,000 excess deaths attributed to heat. 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.

Globally, 2025 was the third-hottest year on record.