A wildfire in Los Gallardos, a municipality of the Almería province in Andalusia, Spain, has taken the lives of 11 people, according to local authorities. Most of them are believed to be foreign tourists, who were caught by surprise by the flames when they were trying to leave the town, as the fire spread quickly and without control. Some are believed to be of British nationality because one of the calcinated cars found had the wheel on the right.
The victims tried to escape the fire through an alternative route, different from the evacuation route marked by emergency services. Three victims were found inside calcinated cars, and eight were found in the road near Bédar, another municipality close Los Gallardos.
<social>https://x.com/Plan_INFOCA/status/2075373054432039315</social>
Emergency authorities ordered a lockdown in Bédar, which was untouched by the flames: had it been ordered to evacuate, it could have turned into an even bigger tragedy as flames engulfed the road, said the Andalusian Minister of the Presidency, Health, and Emergencies, Antonio Sanz
There are also four people seriously injured with burns, and four less seriously injured, and the flames hare burnt 3,150 hectares so far. Around a thousand people have been evacuated, and firefighters are still working to stabilise the fire.
This makes this wildfire one of the deadliest in the history of Andalusia. According to early information from witnesses, it is believed that the fire started when a downed power line sparked flames, at around 16:35 CEST on Wednesday afternoon, spreading with unusual speed through the forest.