Spain wildfire stabilized, evacuated residents return home

A wildfire in Spain's southern Almería province has been stabilized, enabling most of the 1,500 evacuated residents to return to their homes. Regional emergency services chief Antonio Sanz announced Sunday that 600 people could go back after favorable conditions aided firefighting efforts.

Andalusia's regional president, Juan Manuel Moreno, confirmed the fire's stabilization, stating that progress was being made cautiously toward a return to normalcy. The blaze advanced at a rapid pace, reportedly up to 100 meters per minute, leaving behind charred car carcasses on roads.

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The stabilization of a large part of the perimeter has allowed these measures to be adopted and to continue to advance, always with the greatest caution, toward a return to normal.

Authorities are maintaining the death toll at 12, with many of the victims being foreign nationals. The identification process is complicated by the victims' international origins. A French woman is officially listed as missing, with her husband recounting a harrowing escape where he lost contact with her.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is scheduled to visit the affected area on Monday. The Civil Guard is conducting further checks to ensure no potential victims have been overlooked.

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Get out quickly, leave everything. Get out quickly. And in the time it took to say that, I was surrounded by a ball of fire. I could only run.