UK couple found burned and semi-conscious in Almería amid Spanish wildfires | Wildfires
A British couple was found severely burned and semi-conscious in a valley in Spain, amid deadly forest fires ravaging the country’s Almería province, local media reported.
The couple were thought to be on holiday in the area and out for a walk when they were caught in the bushfire, which has so far killed 13 people and burned more than 6,000 hectares (14,800 acres). At least 23 people are missing.
They were found on Thursday by Guardia Civil officers who searched the charred land near the hard-hit community of Bédar to find survivors. They found the pair in a critical condition, semi-conscious and with severe burns covering 40% of their bodies, before they were taken to hospital in a two-hour rescue operation.
They stay in intensive care at the hospital. Sergeant Pedro Barre, one of three officers involved in the search operation, told officers on Spain’s TVE public broadcaster that he heard a voice in the distance but at first thought it was an echo.
He said: “As you gain more experience, a voice inside you tells you: ‘Look again, try one more time.’ “We will never forget the expression of surprise and emotion on their faces.”
Rafael Zea, another of the police officers involved in the operation, said: “It was a monumental effort to address them in the situation they were in.”
After the strong winds eased on Saturday afternoon, firefighters began to bring the flames under control. On Sunday, Andalusia’s regional government head, Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, said the fire was under control and the surrounding area was secured.
At least 1,400 people were evacuated from their homes due to the fire, which involved more than 500 firefighters and emergency workers.
Most of those killed are thought to be British and Belgian nationals and one Spaniard. Forensic scientists in Madrid are using samples taken from the victims’ bodies and DNA samples from the families of people reported missing to identify the dead.
It is one of the deadliest wildfires in Spain’s history, and authorities say the damage to the landscape looks “as if a bomb had gone off”.
Dry weather caused by high winds and several heat waves fueled by the climate crisis has made the region a “ticking time bomb” for wildfire, Bonilla said.
