SPANISH Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has pledged to help Andalucia rebuild after a devastating wildfire ripped through 70 square kilometres of countryside.

Visiting a command post overseeing the blaze in Turre, Almeria province, Sanchez on Monday urged Spain’s regions to come together to tackle climate change.

“The climate emergency kills,” Sanchez warned. “We must not only react, we also have to prevent.”

The meeting came after a deadly wildfire broke out in Los Gallardos, Almeria, on Thursday, killing 13 people while 10 others remain missing. At least five British nationals were among those killed.

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During his visit, the left-wing PSOE leader also met Andalucía president Juanma Moreno of the Partido Popular (PP), with both leaders putting aside political differences to prepare for the ‘difficult summer ahead.’

Sanchez and Moreno stressed the importance of working together to prepare for increasingly severe weather events, with Moreno highlighting that Andalucia was experiencing record levels of heat and burned land.

As climate-related disasters become more frequent, Sanchez outlined measures including creating protective zones around municipalities and educating young people about how to respond during emergencies.

The Spanish PM also stressed that the focus must shift from simply responding to disasters to preventing them, as Spain prepares for a future of increasingly frequent climate emergencies.

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