Eleven dead in wildfire in Almeria: “It is an unprecedented tragedy”

Wildfire

A team of 150 firefighters are working to extinguish the blaze that broke out in Los Gallardos, which has now become the fire with the “most serious consequences to date” in Andalucía

SUR

Eleven people have died and a further seven have been injured in the wildfire that broke out on Thursday evening in the Almería municipality of ... Los Gallardos, according to the emergency services.

The deaths occurred in a hamlet of Bédar, and some of the victims were found inside vehicles. The regional government has raised the fire to emergency level, operational phase 2, “given the development and potential” of the blaze, which is currently being tackled by 150 EMA Infoca personnel supported by five fire engines. This is now the second deadliest wildfire in Spain’s history.

The acting Regional Minister for Health and Emergencies, Antonio Sanz, has expressed his deep sorrow at the deaths of these people and has conveyed the condolences of the regional government of Andalucía to their families and loved ones. “This is terrible news.

🔴 #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

On behalf of the Andalusian government, I wish to express our grief and our condolences to the families of the six people who lost their lives in this fire. Today, the hearts of all Andalusians are in mourning,” he said, whilst noting that this is already the fire “with the most serious consequences to date” in the region, describing it as an “unprecedented tragedy”.

The emergency coordination centre has also mobilised Infoca’s Provincial Operations Centre (COP), the fire service, the Guardia Civil, the National Police unit assigned to the region, the Andalusian Emergency Group (GREA) and the electricity supplier. They will be joined by personnel from the Second Intervention Battalion of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), who have already left the Morón base and are heading for Almería.

Infoca has reported that wind gusts are reaching up to 70 kilometres per hour, which is hampering fire-fighting efforts, particularly as this is an area of particularly dry esparto grasslands.

Gusts of up to 70 kilometres

Sanz has urged the public to exercise the utmost caution, to avoid the area affected by the fire and to follow the instructions of the emergency services. For his part, the president of the regional government of Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, has also highlighted the ‘complexity’ of the fire.

"We are concerned and keeping a close eye on the situation. Please exercise the utmost caution throughout the night," he wrote on his social media accounts on Thursday night.

Residents of the neighbourhoods of Almocáizar, Fuente del Albarico, Los Pinos and La Serena remain evacuated at present, as well as the homes in the Pinar area of the nearby town of Bédar, where a woman has suffered burns and has had to be taken to Torrecárdenas Hospital.

In addition, another person has been injured due to smoke inhalation and has been taken to the same hospital, while four others have been treated at the scene for respiratory problems and minor burns.

Preventative lockdown

Furthermore, in the early hours of this Friday, a ‘preventative’ lockdown was imposed on the Montemayor housing estate, according to the Andalusian Emergency Agency (EMA), which also noted that the Psychological Intervention Group for Emergencies and Disasters (GIPED) has set up a helpline to provide support and information to the families of those affected by the fire (677904624).

As for the roads, the N-340A remains closed in the vicinity of the fire, whilst the A7 - which had been closed to traffic between kilometres 709 and 714 due to the fire - has now been reopened.

EMA 1-1-2 has handled more than 150 calls from members of the public reporting the fire. The first reports indicated that the flames were at kilometre 511 of the N-340A and that they had been caused by a fallen cable.