Forest fire kills at least 12 in southern Spain

At least 12 people were killed in a forest fire that broke out Thursday in Los Gallardos municipality in Almeria province in Spain’s southern Andalusia region, broadcaster RTVE reported.

According to Andalusia’s emergency services, the victims were found in a hamlet of the neighboring municipality of Bedar, with some discovered inside vehicles engulfed by the flames.

Antonio Sanz, Andalusia’s acting minister for Health, the Presidency and Emergencies, described the blaze as “the fire with the greatest consequences to date” in the region and called it an “unprecedented tragedy.”

Authorities raised the region’s wildfire response plan to the emergency phase as the fire continued to spread, while Spain’s Military Emergency Unit (UME) deployed 150 personnel to reinforce firefighting efforts.

The fire and heavy smoke also forced the closure of two major roads in the province.

Separately, around 1,000 people were evacuated as a precaution due to another forest fire that broke out Thursday afternoon in the southern province of Malaga.

That fire remains active, with nearly 180 personnel continuing efforts to stabilize the blaze.