At least 12 people have been killed in a wildfire in a tourist area in the south of Spain, officials said Friday, as extreme heat spreads across the region.
Regional emergency officials said the victims included British and other foreign nationals.
What do we know about wildfires?
By late Thursday evening, six people had died in the village of Bedar in Andalusia, the bodies of four of whom were found trapped in vehicles.
Six more bodies were later discovered in Los Gallardos, bringing the total to 12, Andalusia’s regional government said in a statement Friday morning.
Andalusia’s regional leader Juanma Moreno told Cadena Ser radio that another 19 were still unaccounted for.
RTVE broadcaster described it as “the deadliest wildfire of the 21st century” in the popular holiday destination.
More than 1,000 residents of several communities were evacuated due to the wildfire.
Andalusian President Antonio Sanz, Minister of Health and Emergencies, said formal identification of the victims was still underway, but “everything indicates that most, or possibly all, of those who died were foreigners.” This also included four bodies found in the vehicle, which was right-hand drive, suggesting that the victims were British citizens.
“There are no words for this kind of grief,” he said Friday, calling it an “unprecedented tragedy.”
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the King and Queen expressed grief over the loss of lives in posts on Christmas.
Meanwhile, Saenz urged residents to avoid affected areas, not take any risks and choose escape routes after coordinating with emergency services.
“The absolute priority at the moment is to save lives and all operational services are working tirelessly to achieve this,” he said.
Other injured residents were treated for various degrees of burns and respiratory problems caused by smoke inhalation.
Spain’s emergency services are tackling the flames
Authorities have deployed about 150 firefighters and 220 soldiers from Spain’s military emergency unit to battle the spreading blaze.
Firefighters are supported by five fire trucks, fire fighting technicians and medical units.
Residents of several neighborhoods, including Almocazar, Fuente del Alberico, Los Pinos, La Serena and El Pinar, were evacuated.
What caused the forest fire?
Earlier, witnesses told officials that the fire may have been caused by a fallen power line, which ignited dry vegetation.
Officials have not confirmed whether this was the cause of the fire.
Spain, among other European countries, is facing a heat wave with scorching temperatures, prompting orange weather warnings to be issued in recent days. This is the second highest level of alert, indicating significant danger.
High temperatures dry out vegetation, increasing the risk of forest fires.
In May, Sanchez said Spain would launch its largest wildfire response ever this year.
Spain recorded its worst wildfire in recent history in 2025, burning more than 393,000 hectares (971,000 acres), or nearly three times the size of Los Angeles, US, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.
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Edited by: Shawn Sinico