Spain wildfire nearing control, hundreds return home

Hundreds of residents in southern Spain are returning home as a devastating wildfire that claimed at least 12 lives is nearing full control. Officials announced that approximately 600 of the nearly 1,500 people evacuated from the Almería province fire zone have been permitted to go back.

Regional emergency chief Antonio Sanz stated that "the attack carried out today and the stabilisation of much of the perimeter have made it possible to adopt these measures and continue moving, always with the utmost caution, toward a return to normality." This improved outlook came after a day of calmer winds and higher air humidity, which allowed firefighters to directly confront the blaze.

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The attack carried out today and the stabilisation of much of the perimeter have made it possible to adopt these measures and continue moving, always with the utmost caution, toward a return to normality.

The fire has burned an estimated 6,600 hectares, with burned-out vehicles still visible along some roads where people were trapped by the fast-moving flames. Authorities have confirmed 12 deaths, but the exact number of missing persons remains uncertain pending the completion of autopsies and body identification. Many victims are suspected to be foreign nationals, complicating the identification process as family members travel from abroad to provide DNA samples.

Despite the progress, the Civil Guard police are conducting further searches of the affected area to ensure no victims are unaccounted for. Virginia Barcones, secretary-general for Civil Protection, confirmed that the Civil Guard had already searched over 250 homes and would conduct a final sweep. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is scheduled to visit the devastated area.

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The Civil Guard has entered more than 250 homes to verify that no one was inside, and it will now carry out one final sweep of the area to make a complete check that no one else remains.