In brief
Spain’s Almería province was engulfed in deadly wildfires that claimed 13 lives, seven of whom were British. The blaze, one of the country’s worst, spread across 7,000 hectares and forced nearly 1,500 residents to evacuate. Spanish authorities confirmed the fatalities following post‑mortem exams, adding that the victims were mainly foreign nationals, with eight women and five men among the deceased. Burn‑scarred landscapes and lingering flash‑fires underline the escalating threat of heatwaves and climate‑driven fires.
Seven British nationals lost their lives in the devastating wildfires that swept Spain’s Almería province, authorities confirmed. The incident has become the country’s most lethal fire event in recent memory.
Spanish officials announced that 12 of the 13 victims were foreign nationals. The deaths, the result of post‑mortem examinations, included seven Britons, three Belgians, one Frenchman and a United States citizen. A Spanish citizen was the only local casualty.
The blaze, which spread across about 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres) of land, forced around 1,500 people to evacuate. It began on Thursday, with high temperatures exceeding 40C—conditions that have contributed to a surge in severe heatwaves across Europe.
British residents Pete and Fran Gillam of Bédar, a village severely affected by the fire, were among the victims. Their daughter, Danielle Gillam‑Kirton, expressed her heartbreak on social media after confirmation from police of their deaths.
One survivor, 70‑year‑old Malcolm Timbrell, shared details of how he narrowly escaped the fire, hiding in one of the last damaged cars while the others burned. His story underscores the unpredictable nature of wildfire progression in rural communities.
Spanish emergency services managed to contain the fire after days of intensive firefighting efforts. The incident highlights ongoing concerns about climate change, forest management and the rising threat of large‑scale wildfires in hot, dry conditions.
