Spain wildfire kills at least 12, victims burned in cars as roads turned into death traps: ‘Quite terrifying’

At least 12 people were killed as a wildfire roared through a remote expat community in Los Gallardos, in southern Spain, overnight. Victims tried to flee the flames in cars and on foot, authorities said Friday. Eight people were injured, and 23 went 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, the Associated Press reported.

As the wildfire spread, panicked residents in rural Andalusian villages around Los Gallardos faced an impossible choice — shelter in place and endure the choking smoke, or take their chances and flee.

‘Death trap’

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 were quoted by the Associated Press as saying.

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 UK, said he managed to just barely escape the neighbourhood 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 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, the report added.

Challenges

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,” he added.

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.

Spain heatwave

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.

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 neighbouring Portugal left 66 people dead in Pedrogao Grande, located 200 kilometres (120 miles) northeast of Lisbon. In that blaze, 47 people died on one road while similarly attempting to flee in their cars