MADRID (AP) 鈥� A wildfire roared through a remote expat community in southern Spain overnight, killing at least 12 people as victims tried to flee the flames in cars and on foot, authorities said Friday. Eight people were injured and 23 missing, Andalusia鈥檚 regional leader Juan Manuel Moreno said.
The blaze, one of Spain’s deadliest wildfires, broke out late Thursday in a semi-arid area near the Sierra de Los Filabres mountains in Almeria province,
Most of the victims died after ignoring shelter-in-place instructions, said Antonio Sanz, head of Andalusia鈥檚 emergency services. Some tried to escape via a dry riverbed that 鈥渢urned into a death trap,鈥� he said.
Four victims were believed to be British nationals because the steering wheel of their burned-out car was on the right side, as with British vehicles, regional authorities said. Other unspecified nationals also were believed to be among the dead, and the death toll was expected to rise, authorities said.
Seven people died while on foot after abandoning their cars, Sanz said, adding that most of the deceased were believed to be foreign nationals.
Dean Taylor, a resident who divides his time between Spain and the U.K., said he managed to just barely escape the neighborhood by using back roads to get out.
鈥淚t was quite terrifying,鈥� Taylor said in an interview with The Associated Press. 鈥淚t’s a very sad day, isn鈥檛 it? It鈥檚 devastating, really.”
The blaze is a challenge for firefighters
The fire was still burning as of Friday afternoon. Some 150 firefighters and 220 soldiers from Spain鈥檚 military emergency unit were battling the blaze, which had consumed more than 3,200 hectares (7,900 acres) of forest and farmland.
Moreno, the Andalusian regional leader, said containing the fire was difficult because of the steep, dry terrain.
鈥淚t consists mainly of scrubland and esparto grass,鈥� Moreno said. 鈥淓verything is extremely dry due to the heat waves, making it the perfect fuel; combined with the wind, it鈥檚 a ticking time bomb.鈥�
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S谩nchez expressed his condolences. 鈥淚mmense sadness and desolation in the face of the terrible consequences of the fire affecting the province of Almeria,鈥� he wrote on X.
Europe battles intense heat again
Spain has battled frequent and severe heat waves in recent years, with temperatures often exceeding 40 C (104 F). Wind, high temperatures and little rainfall help small wildfires grow into unchecked blazes.
In June, Spain , with over 1,000 excess deaths attributed to heat.
Europe is the world鈥檚 fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union鈥檚 Copernicus Climate Change Service. Parts of Western Europe are facing their third heat wave in six weeks. Globally, 2025 was the third-hottest year on record, bringing several intense heat waves across Europe.
France also at risk of wildfires
France is experiencing the peak of its third heat wave of the summer, with temperatures reaching 40 C (104 F) across western and central areas and around 37 C (98 F) in Paris.
French authorities have also warned of a very high wildfire risk, as have already scorched thousands of hectares this week, cycling race and stretching firefighting resources.
The largest wildfire, in the eastern Pyrenees near the Spanish border, had decreased in intensity by Friday, authorities said. But it has burned about 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) and forced the temporary evacuation of more than 10,000 people from nearly villages.
Last month was France鈥檚 hottest June on record, with deaths during .
Scientists warn that climate change caused in part by the burning of fuels like gasoline, oil and coal is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making certain regions more vulnerable to wildfires.
Spain and Portugal have faced deadly fires before
Spain is , with last year’s fire season burning more than 393,000 hectares (almost 1,520 square miles), according to the European Forest Fire Information System, an area twice as large as London. Four people died.
Spain’s deadliest wildfire was in 1979 when 21 people perished in Lloret de Mar, a coastal town about an hour north of Barcelona.
In 2017, a wildfire in neighboring Portugal left 66 people dead in Pedrogao Grande, located 200 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of Lisbon. In that blaze, while similarly attempting to flee in their cars.
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Associated Press journalist Sylvie Corbet, in Paris, contributed.
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