Hundreds of firefighters, backed by helicopters and planes, are fighting to contain one of Spain’s deadliest forest fires in the southern Spanish province of Almeria.
The wildfire claimed the lives of at least 12 people and burned 66 square kilometers (25 square miles) of forest and farmland.
This area is approximately equivalent to the size of Manhattan.
This fire, which started late on Thursday near the Sierra de Los Filabres in the midst of a continuous heat wave, caused the evacuation of 1,448 people from eleven different places.
Most of the victims, who were foreign nationals, reportedly succumbed to death for failing to follow “shelter-in-place” instructions. While seven of the people died on foot after abandoning their cars, four died in a burnt-out car, said to be British.
The head of Andalusia’s emergency services, Antonio Sanz, stated: “We are facing one of the most complex fires in recent years.”
The Minister of Justice, Félix Bolaños, explained that the severity of the fire was due to a “climate emergency” and noted that the fire was moving at 100 meters per minute at its maximum intensity. Europe is the fastest warming continent on Earth, warming twice as much as other continents.
However, in France, near where this report originates, several forest fires are breaking out due to temperatures reaching 40°C, and 32 people have been arrested on suspicion of starting them. In total, more than 25,000 hectares of land in France have been affected by fires since the beginning of 2026.
This is double the area destroyed during the same period last year. Searches for victims are underway; There are 23 people missing. The Spanish police have arrested two people for not complying with the evacuation order.
