Hundreds battle deadly wildfire in Spain; 12 dead, thousands evacuated

Hundreds of firefighters, supported by helicopters and aircraft, are engaged in a fierce battle to contain one of Spain's deadliest wildfires in the southern province of Almería. The blaze has already claimed at least 12 lives and continues to pose significant challenges despite favorable conditions like low winds and high humidity.

The fire has ravaged an estimated 66 square kilometers of forest and agricultural land since igniting late Thursday in a semi-arid region near the Sierra de los Filabres mountains. Antonio Sanc, head of Andalusia's emergency services, stated that firefighters conducted controlled burns overnight to establish a perimeter around the fire.

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The combination of weak winds and high humidity is helping firefighters, but the sheer size of the fire continues to pose challenges.

Authorities suspect that most of the victims were foreign nationals who disregarded evacuation orders. Seven individuals died on foot after leaving their vehicles, and four of them are believed to be British citizens, indicated by the right-hand drive of their burned car. DNA samples have been collected to identify the victims, and autopsies have been completed.

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Seven people died while walking, after abandoning their cars. It is believed that four of them are British citizens, as the steering wheel of their burned car was on the right side.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has been in contact with his counterparts from Britain, Belgium, Canada, and the Netherlands regarding the fire. Almería hosts a significant foreign resident community within the Andalusia region. Previously, 1,448 people were evacuated from around 11 areas, and several arrests were made for ignoring evacuation orders and returning to high-risk zones.

Spain has been grappling with frequent and intense heatwaves, with temperatures often exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. These conditions, combined with wind and low rainfall, exacerbate the risk of small fires escalating into uncontrollable infernos. At its peak, the fire spread at an alarming rate of up to 100 meters per minute, according to Spanish Justice Minister Félix Bolaños. The Spanish meteorological service warned that the risk of fires would remain very high over the weekend.

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The fire, when it was most intense, was spreading at a speed of up to 100 meters per minute.