Wildfires in southern Spain kill 12, as authorities fear strong winds could spread blaze
At least 12 people have died as massive wildfires sweep through Andalusia’s Costa de Almería
By Billy Stockwell, Todd Symons, Diego Mendoza, CNN
(CNN) — Wildfires have killed at least 12 people on Spain’s southern coast, local officials said Friday, as residents remain displaced amid concerns that strong gusts of wind could help to spread the blaze.
Around 150 emergency workers were deployed to battle the forest fire near the town of Los Gallardos on the Costa de Almería – one of Spain’s deadliest on record – where several residents had been evacuated from their homes, a statement from the regional government of Andalusia said.
“The most devastating fire to date in our region,” said Antonio Sanz, the region’s health and emergencies minister.
Andalusia’s regional leader Juanma Moreno said in a news conference Friday that at least 23 people remain missing.
Temperature records have been smashed across Europe this summer as countries are hit by heat waves which are bringing extreme temperatures alarmingly early in the year. Firefighters are battling wildfires in Spain, Portugal and France.
The mayor of Los Gallardos, Francisco Reyes, said the situation was “terrifying because there is a lot of wind and the fire has spread very quickly.”
“We have had to evacuate residents from Almocáizar and residents from Terminar de Vedas, and now we are heading towards the campsite because, as you can see, the wind is coming from the west and this is going to reach the campsite, where we also have 400 or 500 people,” he told Reuters news agency on Thursday.
Wildfires are not unusual in Europe, but the climate crisis is driving hotter, drier weather, which is setting the stage for fiercer fire seasons.
The current death toll makes the blaze Spain’s deadliest wildfire since 2005, when 11 firefighters were killed in the central province of Guadalajara after a fire was sparked by a barbecue, Reuters reported.
Last month, Spain set national records with temperatures on some days reaching 12.8 degrees Fahrenheit (7.1 Celsius) above average, according to the national weather service AEMET.
France and the UK also set record temperatures last month amid the unprecedented heat, with many French towns and cities facing temperatures above 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Celsius).
Spain’s meteorological office issued more high temperature warnings in recent days for parts of the Andalusia region. Video released by authorities shows firefighters battling large flames engulfing vegetation in the area.
Meanwhile, emergency services have been tackling blazes in neighboring France too, with thousands of hectares of land burned near the border with Spain, according to local authorities.
In Portugal, recent wildfires have caused plumes of smoke so large they could be seen from space, according to the European Union.
Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing more than twice as fast as the global average, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his sadness over the recent deaths in the country’s south. “I want to convey my condolences to the families of those who died,” he said on X.
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CNN’s Laura Paddison, Duarte Mendonca and Magdalena Vitores Moreno contributed reporting.
