Wildfires in southern Spain kill 12, emergency agency says

Twelve people were killed in a wildfire in Almeria in southern Spain, with 150 firefighters working to put out the blaze, the Emergency Agency of Andalucia said early on Friday.

Minister ‌of ⁠the Presidency, ⁠Health, and Emergencies Antonio Sanz called the fire "the most ​devastating fire to date in our region" and described the situation ​as an "unprecedented tragedy".

Earlier, there were reports of six deaths from the wildfire.


"Our deepest condolences to the families ​of the six people who lost ⁠their lives ‌in the Los Gallardos and ​the affection ​from all of us to the municipalities ⁠affected by the fire," Juanma Moreno, the leader ​of Spain's southern Andalusia region wrote ​in a post on X.

Los Gallardos is a municipality of the Almeria province in Spain's southern region of Andalusia. The blaze comes after a wildfire burning out of control in southern Franceearlier this ‌week forced the evacuation of over 10,000 people from two dozen small towns ​and villages ​near the Spanish ⁠border.

Early summer heatwaves across western Europe in May and June have parched vast areas of land, making them ​particularly vulnerable to wildfires this year.

Europe is warming at more than twice the global average, the World Meteorological Organization has said, making prolonged heat episodes increasingly likely.