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At Least 12 People Die in Southern Spain Wildfire

The blaze in Andalusia, one of the deadliest on record in the country, also left more than 20 people missing. Many of the victims were foreign tourists, the Spanish authorities said.

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VideoSeveral People Dead in Southern Spain Wildfire1:14

Reporting from Madrid

July 10, 2026Leer en español

At least 12 people died and another 23 were missing on Friday after a wildfire tore through dry scrubland in southern Spain, making the blaze one of the deadliest on record in the country as Europe braces for a high-risk fire season fueled by scorching temperatures.

Nearly all of the confirmed victims were foreigners, including from Belgium and Britain, according to Juanma Moreno, the president of the region of Andalusia. Some of those who died had not followed orders to evacuate or to shelter in place once the flames got too close, he said at a news conference.

“It is an immense tragedy,” Mr. Moreno added.

Over 500 firefighters and civil protection workers battled the blaze, which broke out near the municipality of Los Gallardos, in Almería, on Thursday afternoon. The flames quickly coursed through the area, which is mountainous, rugged and popular with tourists.

“This is the first time we’ve faced a fire as devastating as this one,” Francisco Miguel Reyes, the mayor of Los Gallardos, told a Spanish radio station on Friday, adding, “It looks like a bomb went off” over the town.

Ángel Collado, the mayor of Bédar, a hamlet in the area of the fire, said at a news conference that officials had gone door to door urging residents to evacuate. One of the residents, who survived, refused to leave and advised a separate group of nine people to remain indoors as well, Mr. Collado said.

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