France advises avoiding Almería fire zone, search continues for missing Frenchwoman

French authorities are urging their citizens to steer clear of the wildfire zone in Almería, Spain, as a search continues for a missing French national. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed its embassy and consulate are in contact with Spanish officials and supporting the family of the woman who has not yet been located.

“

A French citizen is among the people not located in Spain. We are in contact with the Spanish authorities on the ground to confirm or deny this information. The situation requires the utmost caution and we recommend French people in Spain to avoid any area likely to be affected.

Her husband, Jérôme Navarro, told TF1 that he believes his wife, Stéphanie, perished in her car while attempting to flee the rapidly advancing flames with their dogs. He described a desperate escape, telling his wife to leave everything behind and flee, only to be engulfed by a wall of fire. He recounted his own escape by jumping into a ravine.

Navarro stated that no official evacuation orders were issued, leaving residents like himself and his wife, who had just arrived at their vacation home, trapped. He described the fire as an "inferno" that residents, many of them foreign, particularly British, endured for two days before it began to subside on Saturday.

“

I told my wife: 'Get out of there quickly, leave everything behind. Get out of there quickly'. And by the time I said that, it was surrounded by a ball of fire. I could only flee.

The wildfire has resulted in at least twelve fatalities, primarily foreigners, and 18 injuries. Spanish authorities are working to identify the deceased, having obtained genetic profiles from all twelve victims. However, confirmation awaits the arrival of relatives from abroad for DNA matching.

“

Neither the town hall, nor the municipal police, nor the local police came to warn us. We found ourselves trapped.