At least 12 people have been killed and 23 remain unaccounted for after a fast-moving wildfire tore through the south-eastern Spanish province of Almería on Thursday, making it one of the country's deadliest blazes in decades. The fire broke out near the village of Bédar in the municipality of Los Gallardos — a rural area in the Levante Almeriense comarca, a largely arid landscape bordering the Mediterranean coast — and spread with devastating speed through bone-dry vegetation, fanned by strong winds during Spain's second heatwave of the summer. Authorities believe a fallen power line may have ignited the initial blaze. Four of the dead are thought to be British nationals, identified because the vehicle in which they were found had a right-hand drive. The majority of victims are believed to be foreign residents, a significant community in this part of Andalucía.

Many of the deaths occurred because residents chose to flee via unauthorised routes rather than following official guidance. Authorities had instructed residents of Bédar either to shelter in place or to use a designated evacuation route; those in surrounding areas were directed along a specific road toward the coast. However, as smoke rapidly thickened and flames advanced, some panicked and attempted to escape through a dry ravine. Antonio Sanz, Andalucía's emergency minister, described the outcome bluntly: