FOUR Brits are believed to be among the 11 victims of a devastating Andalucia fire – the deadliest in the region since records began.
Emergency services told The Olive Press that the bodies recovered from a burned-out vehicle near the mountain village of Bedar, in Almeria province, are believed to be those of British residents or tourists.
Citing Andalucia’s Regional Minister for Emergencies, Antonio Sanz, authorities said the vehicle had right-hand drive, but stressed that the victims have not yet been formally identified.
Sanz later told reporters that the other seven victims belonged to a group of nine people, two of whom were rescued.
They had been trying to flee the fire on foot, authorities told The Olive Press.
Among this group, one of the deceased is Spanish, while the others are tourists or foreign residents living in the area.
One further person is feared dead, Sanz said, potentially raising the death toll to 12.
He added that the victims were caught off guard by the blaze after taking an evacuation route other than the one officially designated by authorities.
A total of 19 people have also been reported missing in the area, while eight more were injured in the blaze – four of them seriously.
Families seeking information are urged to call +34 677 904 624.
The tragedy comes after a fast-moving fire tore through the village of Los Gallardos, in Almeria province, forcing around 1,000 people to evacuate their homes in the early hours of Friday.
Los Gallardos mayor Francisco Miguel Reyes said: “It looks as if a bomb has fallen.
“The fire is still not under control and the wind is not helping. We hope it can be brought under control throughout the day.
“There has been extensive material damage, but that can be repaired; lives cannot,” he said.
More than 600 people remain evacuated, with 193 rehoused in temporary shelters.
A total of 464 personnel are battling the blaze, supported by more than 100 vehicles and around 20 aircraft as part of the firefighting operation.
This includes 200 soldiers from Spain’s Military Emergency Unit (UME) deployed in the area, according to the country’s Defence Minister.
The fire’s right flank remains the most active, advancing towards farmland close to the main road.
Heavy machinery is being used in the northern area, while a shift in wind direction could ‘completely alter the behaviour of the blaze’, minister Sanz warned.
“It can only be described as a tragedy,” he told reporters.
Sanz added the terrain and the large number of scattered homes in the area were making firefighting efforts ‘highly complex.’
“There are houses everywhere,” he said.
Authorities are investigating a collapsed power line as the possible cause of the fire, regional president Juanma Moreno has said.
He added that ‘responsibility’ would have to be determined over the incident.
Speaking to COPE radio, Moreno said: “Everything appears to suggest – although this still needs to be investigated – that the fire started after an electricity pole fell.
“This will also raise questions about responsibility for the maintenance of the infrastructure and those responsible for it.”
Commenting on the fire earlier this morning, Prime minister Pedro Sanchez said: “Immense sadness and desolation in the face of the terrible consequences of the fire affecting the province of Almeria.”
“I want to convey my condolences to the families of those who died in the Los Gallardos forest fire.
“My wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured and my solidarity with all the affected neighbours.”
The swearing-in ceremony for Andalucia’s new government, scheduled for today (Friday), has been postponed as the region responds to the Los Gallardos wildfire.
Spain is currently battling a series of wildfires across the country as a sweltering heatwave sends temperatures soaring well past 40C.
Blazes have broken out in Catalunya and Andalucia, with a separate fire threatening the popular British expat hotspot of Estepona.
Around 1,000 people were evacuated from their homes after a blaze broke out on Thursday afternoon in Benahavis.
The Los Gallardos wildfire has been the deadliest ever in Andalucia and the third deadliest in Spain’s recorded history, Jessica Newton writes.
The death toll currently stands at 11, with one further person feared dead.
The deadliest fire in Spain’s history took place in 1979 in Lloret de Mar, Girona, killing 21 people after a blaze swept through a residential area.
The fire spread rapidly from the surrounding pine forest, devastating the Los Pinares housing estate, where many residents were staying on holiday.
Lawyers representing victims later argued that the deaths could have been prevented through better urban planning, claiming that narrow dead-end streets and a lack of evacuation routes left people trapped.
The second deadliest fire in Spain occurred on the Canary Island of La Gomera in 1984, killing 20 people.
The blaze broke out near Las Nieves National Park and spread quickly due to strong winds, dry vegetation and the area’s steep ravines.
Among those killed were government officials, firefighters, forestry workers and civilians who had travelled inland to assess the fire but became trapped on the road.
Around 900 hectares of land were destroyed.
The deadliest wildfire ever recorded on the Iberian Peninsula, however, occurred in 2017 in Pedrógão Grande, Portugal, where 62 people died.
Around half of the victims were trapped while trying to escape along a rural road, which later became known as the ‘road of death.’
This is a developing story. More to follow.
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