LAST UPDATE | 21 hrs ago

AT LEAST 12 people have been killed in a fast-moving wildfire in southern Spain as a heatwave continues to stifle swathes of the country.

Authorities said many of the victims may be foreign tourists and that the toll could increase.

Eight people have been injured and a further 23 are unaccounted for, Andalusia’s regional leader Juan Manuel Moreno said.

Around 500 firefighters, backed by Spain’s Military Emergency Unit, battled to contain the blaze in Bédar, a small village northeast in Almeria province in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Around 800 people were evacuated, including nearly 200 to temporary shelters. 

Searches are ongoing for victims, with witnesses saying the fire may have been started by a power line that fell and set scrub land on fire.

Temperatures across Spain are predicted to hit 40C today.

Antonio Sanz, the Andalusia region’s minister for emergencies, said in a video posted on X.

“Everything indicates that the deceased are, mostly or entirely, foreign nationals,” Antonio Sanz, the Andalusia region’s minister for emergencies, said in a video posted on X.

Authorities are still confirming their identities.

🔴 #IFLosGallardos (#Almería). Estas imágenes nos ayudan a entender la magnitud de este incendio y las condiciones en las que han trabajado los bomberos forestales. pic.twitter.com/YCUFZ39OQt

— EMA INFOCA (@Plan_INFOCA) July 10, 2026

He said four of the dead were in a right-hand drive car that indicated they were British, but that their identities were still being confirmed. Sanz said others appeared to have died as they tried to flee the flames.

He described the fire as a “very complex, very fast-moving” outbreak in a region with many ravines and homes in forested areas.

No reports of Irish affected

In a statement to The Journal, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs said it is aware of the situation and its officials, including the Irish Embassy in Madrid, are monitoring it closely.

“There have been no reports of any Irish citizens having been affected in the most recent fires in southern Spain,” the spokesperson said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee expressed her “deepest sympathies” to the families who lost loved ones in the wildfires, adding that Ireland and the EU are “always ready to assist in dealing with these devastating events”.

She said Irish citizens affected by the wildfires who require assistance can contact the embassy on +34 91 4364093.

The department said up-to-date travel advice can be found on its website. 

Irish citizens affected by wildfires who require assistance can contact the Embassy on +34 91 436 4093

For more information on staying safe in hot weather, travellers can consult: https://t.co/qkEukQzOHO

Please see latest travel advice for Spain here: https://t.co/3BNzRRwTg2 pic.twitter.com/p7Lba1yHnJ

— Embassy of Ireland, Madrid (@IrlEmbMadrid) July 10, 2026

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he was “deeply saddened” by the deaths, adding: “My thoughts are with all those impacted, and the emergency services tackling the flames.”

The Andalusia regional government said emergency services were submerged by more than 150 calls from people reporting the fire and that flames could be seen on a main highway passing near the village.

Sanz also said eight people had been injured, four seriously, and that about 7,780 acres of forest and farm land had been scorched.

Flames tore through woodland 

“Witnesses stated that a fallen cable had sparked the fire and that the flames had spread rapidly to the wooded area near the road,” the government’s statement added.

Roads were closed and residents evacuated as the inferno spread, with about 150 people housed in a cultural centre.

A seaplane helping to extinguish the wildfire in Los Gallardos, Almería, Andalusia. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Spain’s Military Emergency Unit (UME) was sent to join the firefighters.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on X that he was “deeply saddened and devastated by the terrible consequences of the wildfire”.

He said in May that Spain would deploy its largest-ever summer wildfire response this year.

The head of the Andalusia regional government, Juanma Moreno, said on X: “Our hearts are heavy and we are devastated by grief,” he wrote on X.

The wildfire comes as Spain swelters in a heatwave, with scorching temperatures triggering orange weather warnings – the second-highest level – across parts of Andalusia in recent days.

Spain has experienced increasingly frequent and prolonged heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures often exceeding 40C, fuelling conditions for major wildfires.

The country registered its third-warmest year on record in 2025, with 25 single-day heat records set during the period, national weather agency AEMET said.

Earlier this month, hundreds of firefighters battled a wildfire that raged near the Costa Brava coast that draws tourists from across Europe and forced thousands to stay indoors.

Strong winds whipped up the fire and prompted regional authorities to urge residents of 10 municipalities to remain at home, including at the popular Platja d’Aro beach resort.

Deadly wildfires devoured almost 400,000 hectares (one million acres) of land in Spain last year, the highest figure recorded for the country by the European Forest Fire Information System.

France has also been battling major wildfires in recent days. A fire blazing in the Drome region of southeast France for 10 days has burned 3,700 hectares of land.

© AFP 2026