Thirteen killed in Almeria as Spain records worst wildfire year
A devastating wildfire in southern Spain has killed 13 people, mostly foreign residents, highlighting the lethal toll of the country's record-breaking 2025 fire season driven by extreme heat.
Thirteen people have died in wildfires that tore through the province of Almería in southern Spain. Authorities confirmed that 12 of the victims were foreign nationals living in a region popular with expatriates near the Mediterranean coast. The blaze broke out last Thursday and was fanned by high winds through tinder-dry forests.
Emergency services brought the flames under control by Sunday, allowing residents to return home. Among the dead are seven Britons, three Belgians, one French citizen and one American, alongside one Spanish national. Officials noted the group comprised eight women and five men, all adults.
The village of Bédar bore the brunt of the disaster, leaving burned-out cars littering the escape routes. Pete and Fran Gillam, a British couple who lived in the village, were among the victims. “We are heartbroken to share that we have received confirmation from the police that Mum and Dad did not survive the fire,” their daughter Danielle Gillam-Kirton wrote on Facebook. “Thank you for all your love, support and prayers over the past few days. They have meant more to us than we can ever express.”
Several victims perished while trying to escape the flames in their vehicles. A British man died in his car in the Los Gallardos area during the evacuation after he reportedly stayed behind to rescue his pets, according to Penelope Howe, a 54-year-old friend of his wife. The severity of the burns meant DNA testing was required to identify the first 12 bodies recovered.
Investigators determined the fire started when an electrical cable fell onto a road. It devastated approximately 7,000 hectares of land, equating to more than 17,000 acres, across the picturesque region.
A record toll for Spain
The tragedy underscores a broader crisis unfolding across the continent as climate change alters living conditions in southern Europe. Spain has endured increasingly long and frequent heatwaves, with temperatures regularly exceeding 40C, creating ideal conditions for fires to ignite and spread rapidly.
According to the European Forest Fire Information System, more than 393,000 hectares of Spanish land have been destroyed by fire in 2025. This represents the highest toll in the country's recent history, raising serious questions about the long-term safety, property values and insurance costs for the large expatriate communities that populate Europe's southern coastal regions.
