MADRID — At least 12 people have died and 23 others remain missing after one of Spain’s deadliest wildfires on record tore through the southern province of Almeria overnight into Friday, as extreme heat and dry conditions continued to fuel dangerous fire outbreaks across parts of Europe.
Authorities said many of the victims were found inside burned vehicles or died while trying to escape the fast-moving flames. Eight others were injured as emergency crews continued search and rescue operations in the fire-ravaged area, according to officials from Spain’s Andalusia regional government.
The wildfire has burned more than 3,200 hectares (7,900 acres) of forest and farmland in Almeria, a popular holiday destination in southern Spain. Around 150 firefighters, supported by 220 soldiers from Spain’s Military Emergency Unit, have been deployed to contain the blaze.
Andalusia regional president Juan Manuel Moreno said four British nationals and several other foreign nationals were believed to be among those killed, although authorities are still working to formally identify the victims.
The fire started in a small hamlet near the Sierra de Los Filabres mountain range in a semi-arid area of Almeria. Investigators have not yet confirmed the cause, but emergency officials said initial reports from witnesses indicated that a fallen power line may have ignited vegetation before the fire spread rapidly through nearby forestland.
Antonio Sanz, head of Andalusia’s emergency services, said most of the fatalities occurred when residents ignored official instructions to shelter in place and instead attempted to flee.
According to Sanz, one group sought refuge by traveling through a dry riverbed that quickly became engulfed by flames, turning it into what he described as “a death trap.” Seven victims reportedly abandoned their vehicles and attempted to escape on foot but were overtaken by the rapidly advancing wildfire.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his condolences to the victims and their families.
“Immense sadness and desolation in the face of the terrible consequences of the fire affecting the province of Almeria,” Sánchez wrote on social media platform X.
The tragedy comes as Spain endures another period of extreme heat, with temperatures frequently exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Prolonged drought, strong winds and exceptionally dry vegetation have created conditions that allow small fires to spread rapidly into large and destructive wildfires.
Spain has experienced increasingly severe heat waves in recent years. In June, the country recorded several days of record-breaking temperatures, with health authorities attributing more than 1,000 excess deaths to extreme heat.
The wildfire also highlights a broader pattern across Europe, where prolonged heat and drought have intensified wildfire risks.
According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures rising at roughly twice the global average since the 1980s. Parts of Western Europe are currently experiencing their third major heat wave in six weeks, while 2025 ranked as the world’s third-hottest year on record, contributing to widespread extreme weather events.
France is also battling dangerous wildfire conditions. Authorities there warned of a very high fire risk as temperatures climbed to around 40 degrees Celsius across western and central regions, while another major wildfire in the eastern Pyrenees near the Spanish border burned approximately 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) and forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 residents before firefighters brought the blaze under better control.
Scientists have warned that climate change, driven largely by greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, is increasing the frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves and droughts, making many regions more vulnerable to devastating wildfires.
Spain has long been vulnerable to major wildfires. According to the European Forest Fire Information System, more than 393,000 hectares were burned during last year’s fire season, an area roughly twice the size of London, with four fatalities recorded.
The latest tragedy also recalls Portugal’s devastating 2017 Pedrógão Grande wildfire, where 66 people died, including 47 who were trapped in their vehicles while attempting to flee advancing flames, one of Europe’s deadliest wildfire disasters in recent history.
