Wildfire near Almeria: Twelve Dead After Fire in Los Gallardos

Los Gallardos – 12 July 2026: The smell of ash still hangs over the dry hills north of the Mediterranean coast. The wildfire that broke out on Thursday evening near Los Gallardos in the province of Almeria has claimed the lives of at least twelve people, according to Andalusia’s emergency command. For the region’s small towns, it is a disaster whose consequences extend far beyond the burned areas.

The fire spread through an area on the edge of the Sierra de los Filabres, where forest, scrubland and agricultural land merge into one another. The flames also swept through an area with many foreign residents and holiday homes. People tried to leave the danger zone by car or on foot. According to information available so far, several victims were found along escape routes.

Authorities initially reported 23 people missing on Friday. Eight people were recorded as injured, several of them seriously. The identification of the dead has not yet been completed: forensic specialists took DNA samples after autopsies had been completed. Only preliminary information is currently available on the victims’ nationalities. Spanish authorities are in contact with several foreign governments on the matter.

Hundreds of firefighters, soldiers from the Military Emergency Unit and aircraft were deployed. According to the latest figures, around 66 square kilometres of forest and agricultural land have been affected by the fire. Controlled backburns were intended to slow its spread along particularly vulnerable sections. Lighter winds and higher humidity made the work of emergency crews easier, but the large and difficult-to-survey fire zone remains a challenge.

The causes of the fire have still not been conclusively established. Investigators and specialists must now reconstruct how the blaze was able to develop so quickly and which routes remained open to those affected. Statements by authorities regarding individual escape attempts form part of this ongoing review. A final assessment would be premature at this stage.

Andalusia’s regional president, Juan Manuel Moreno, spoke of devastating consequences. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also expressed his sympathy to the victims’ relatives. For the people of Los Gallardos and surrounding communities, alongside the effort to fight the flames, the search for missing people, concern for the injured and the return to damaged residential areas are now beginning.

The fire ranks among Spain’s most consequential wildfires of recent decades. The region had previously been marked by intense heat and parched vegetation. What remains crucial now is that emergency crews secure all fire perimeters and that authorities can provide reliable information to relatives. The toll may still change.