Hundreds of Firefighters and Aircraft Combat Large Wildfire in Southern Spain

Hundreds of firefighters, supported by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, have been working to contain a fast-moving wildfire in the Andalusian town of Bedar, Almería province. The blaze, which started late Thursday in a semi-arid area near the Sierra de Los Filabres mountains, has scorched roughly 66 square kilometres of forest and farmland, an area comparable to Manhattan.

Antonio Sanz, head of the region’s emergency services, said light winds and high humidity are aiding the response, though the fire’s size remains a challenge. Crews carried out controlled burns around the perimeter overnight and expect favorable weather to continue into Sunday, which could help containment efforts.

Justice Minister Félix Bolaños reported that nearly all homes on the fire’s front line escaped damage. Authorities have evacuated 1,448 people from 11 affected areas and are searching for additional victims. Autopsies have been completed and DNA samples are being taken to identify the deceased, most of whom were foreign nationals who ignored shelter-in-place orders.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has discussed the incident with counterparts from the United Kingdom, Belgium, Canada and the Netherlands, reflecting the presence of a large foreign community in Almería. Two individuals were arrested for returning to a high-risk zone after evacuation orders were issued.

The Justice Minister attributed the fire’s rapid spread – at times advancing up to 100 metres per minute – to a “climate emergency.” Spain’s meteorological agency warned that wildfire risk will stay very high over the weekend.

The incident occurs amid a third heat wave across Western Europe, with temperatures exceeding 40 °C in parts of Spain and France. French authorities also reported active wildfires and have arrested 32 people linked to fire-related offenses since the start of summer.