As Spain sweltered under punishing heat, crews on the ground and in the air fought through the night to rein in one of the country’s deadliest wildfires — a blaze that has already killed at least 12 people and left scorched earth stretching for miles.
Hundreds of firefighters, supported by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, pressed on with containment efforts as a rare break in conditions offered a narrow advantage. Light winds and high humidity have helped, but the scale of the fire remains a daunting obstacle, said Antonio Sanz, head of Andalusia’s emergency services.
The wildfire has burned about 65 square kilometres of forest and farmland.
Sanz said crews carried out controlled burns overnight along the fire’s perimeter — a tactic aimed at starving the flames of fuel — after the blaze erupted late Thursday in a semi-arid area near the Sierre de Los Filabres mountains in Almeria province, at the height of Spain’s searing temperatures.
Seven people died after leaving their vehicles and trying to escape on foot.
Regional authorities said four of the victims were believed to be British, citing a grim detail: the steering wheel of their burned-out car was on the right side.
Sanz said authorities had completed post-mortem examinations and collected DNA samples to confirm identities.
He said there were no reports of additional deaths overnight, calling that “the best news we could have”.
A view of a burnt area affected by wildfires in Bédar near Almería, Spain
Sanz said Spain’s Civil Guard police had searched impacted areas without finding further victims, though he stressed the search had not ended.
“That does not mean it cannot happen, but after the Civil Guard swept the area, including locations that were still hotspots, it gives us hope,” Sanz said.
Officials have urged the public to treat claims of dozens of missing people with caution.
Sanz said references to 23 missing people were misleading, explaining the number reflected individuals relatives had been unable to reach — people who may have made it to evacuation centres or other safe locations.
He said seven formal missing persons reports had been filed.
Authorities moved early to evacuate 1,448 people from about 11 areas.
For some residents, the warning came suddenly. Jeffrey and Christine Kember said they were watching TV in their Los Pinos farmhouse when the wail of a siren signalled danger.
Jeffrey Kember said that as the flames advanced, he and his wife rushed to their cars while also trying to assist a neighbour caring for two toddlers.
In the chaos, he said, the couple became separated — and he could not reach his wife because she did not have a phone with her.
“I’m driving through the flames. It was actually flames. I thought, ‘I can’t stop, I just gotta go’,” he told The Associated Press, standing beside his wife outside an evacuation centre.
“It was eerie because all of a sudden I came out of the flames and it was all bright sunshine. It was like surreal. Ridiculous.”
The wildfire erupted on Thursday
Spanish authorities also arrested two people for ignoring evacuation orders and returning to a high-risk area, according to Spain’s official EFE news agency.
Meanwhile, officials said they were still combing the Bédar area for any victims.
Spain has endured frequent, severe heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures often climbing above 40C.
Combined with wind, high temperatures and scarce rainfall, conditions can allow smaller fires to balloon into fast-moving infernos.
Justice minister Felix Bolanos said the Almería wildfire’s ferocity reflected a “climate emergency”.
He said that at its most intense the fire advanced as quickly as 100 metres per minute.
In June, Spain recorded several days of unprecedented heat, with more than 1,000 excess deaths.
Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures rising at twice the global average rate since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Parts of western Europe are now facing their third heatwave in six weeks. Globally, 2025 ranked as the third-hottest year on record, bringing a series of intense heat waves across Europe.
Across the border in France, several wildfires were still active as temperatures soared.
Interior minister Laurent Nunez said 32 people have been arrested nationwide since the start of summer in connection with wildfires.
France is in the height of its third heatwave this summer, with temperatures hitting 40C in western and central regions and about 37C in Paris.
In Paris, the Eiffel Tower will close in the afternoon over the weekend rather than late at night, as it typically does.
Last month was France’s hottest June on record, and deaths surged by nearly a third during the hottest week.
Additional reporting AFP
