British expats feared dead during Spanish wildfires as residents flee popular tourist spot

A devastating wildfire has killed at least 12 people in a remote migrant community in southern Spain, authorities confirmed Friday, with the victims dying as they fled the flames in cars and on foot.

Juan Manuel Moreno, the regional leader of Andalusia, reported that eight people were injured and 23 people were missing.

The blaze, one of Spain’s deadliest, broke out late on Thursday in a semi-arid region near the Sierra de Los Filabres mountains in Almeria province, amid rising temperatures across the country.

Antonio Sanz, head of Andalusia’s emergency services, said most of the victims died after ignoring shelter instructions. He added that some were trying to escape from the dry riverbed, which “turned into a death trap”.

Regional authorities said four of those killed were believed to be British nationals and were identified from right-hand drive vehicles.

While it is thought that there are other unspecified citizens among the dead, the number of deaths is expected to increase.

Seven people died on foot after abandoning their cars, Mr. Sanz said, adding that most of those killed were believed to be foreign nationals.

Dean Taylor, who splits his time between Spain and England, said he barely managed to escape the neighborhood using back roads.

“It was pretty scary,” Taylor said in the interview. Associated Press. “It’s such a sad day, isn’t it? Really devastating.”

As of Friday afternoon, the fire was still burning. About 150 firefighters and 220 soldiers from Spain’s military emergency unit were battling the blaze, which had consumed more than 3,200 hectares (7,900 acres) of forest and farmland.

Andalusia regional leader Moreno said it was difficult to control the fire due to the steep and dry terrain.

“It mostly consists of shrubs and esparto grasses,” Moreno said. “Everything is extremely dry due to heat waves, making it a perfect fuel; when combined with the wind, it becomes a ticking time bomb.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his condolences. “Great sadness and desolation at the terrible consequences of the fire affecting the province of Almeria,” he wrote to X.

Spain has struggled with frequent and severe heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures often exceeding 40 C (104 F). Wind, high temperatures and low rainfall cause small fires to turn into wildfires.

In June, Spain experienced several days of record-breaking heat, with more than 1,000 deaths attributed to the heat.

According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures rising twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s. Parts of Western Europe are facing their third heat wave in six weeks. 2025 was the third hottest year on record globally, with Europe experiencing several intense heatwaves.

France is experiencing the peak of its third heat wave of the summer; temperatures reach 40 C (104 F) in the western and central regions and 37 C (98 F) in Paris.

French authorities have also warned of a very high risk of wildfire as massive fires in the south have burned thousands of hectares this week, disrupting the Tour de France cycling race and straining firefighting resources.

The intensity of the largest wildfire in the Pyrenees-Orientales near the Spanish border decreased on Friday, officials said. But nearly 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) burned, causing the temporary evacuation of more than 10,000 people from most villages.

Last month was France’s warmest June on record; In the hottest week, deaths increased by almost a third.

Scientists warn that climate change, caused in part by the burning of fuels such as gasoline, oil and coal, is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making some regions more vulnerable to wildfires.

Spain is no stranger to wildfires, with more than 393,000 hectares (almost 1,520 square miles) burned during last year’s fire season, an area twice the size of London, according to the European Forest Fire Information System. Four people died.

Spain’s deadliest wildfire occurred in 1979, killing 21 people in Lloret de Mar, a seaside town about an hour north of Barcelona.

In 2017, a forest fire in neighboring Portugal killed 66 people in Pedrogao Grande, 200 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of Lisbon. In that fire, 47 people died while trying to escape with their cars on the same road.