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A wildfire that has been raging since Thursday afternoon in Almería, Spain, has killed 11 people, according to figures released by the regional government of Andalusia.
Early investigations suggest that many of the deaths may have resulted from one critical decision: some of the victims appear to have abandoned a designated evacuation route.
Antonio Sanz, regional minister responsible for emergency services, said specialists were looking at two different scenarios to explain the fatalities.
Four British nationals died inside a vehicle while seven other people died while walking, having left their cars behind in an attempt to find an escape route different from the one indicated by emergency services.
According to Sanz, those victims were looking for “an exit that was not the designated one” and ended up crossing a dry riverbed where the rapidly advancing flames caught up with them.
The mayor of Bédar had ordered an emergency evacuation of the town. While many residents managed to leave safely by following the prescribed route, authorities instructed people in another area to remain indoors because the fire was too close. Regional officials believe that decision prevented an even higher death toll.
Unforgiving landscape
The area’s rugged terrain has complicated both the evacuation and firefighting efforts. Bédar has only two road exits, and many of its rural roads and tracks are dead ends, leaving few alternatives when the main escape route becomes blocked by smoke or fire.
The landscape is further complicated by steep ravines that are inaccessible to heavy machinery.
“The terrain is extremely difficult,” Sanz said.
Officials remain particularly concerned about the fire’s right flank because of the risk of it spreading to other agricultural areas, while the left flank remains active and largely inaccessible to firefighting crews.
As a precaution, the entire municipality of Bédar has been evacuated. Among those evacuated were around 400 people staying at a nearby campsite, who were moved to safety before the fire reached the area.
Emergency response
The fire broke out at around 16:35 on Thursday and, according to Spain’s Civil Guard, is believed to have been caused by a fallen power line, a conclusion that Andalusian President Juanma Moreno has confirmed.
The fire spread so rapidly that authorities activated the Infoca wildfire emergency plan at Emergency Phase, Operational Situation 2, and several roads, including the A-7 motorway, had to be closed for several hours.
More than 100 personnel from the Infoca Plan, the Civil Guard, fire services and Civil Protection are involved in the operation, along with 150 soldiers from the Military Emergency Unit.
The latest assessment estimates that approximately 3,150 hectares have been burned. At the time of reporting, the communities of Almocáizar, Fuente del Albarico, Los Pinos, La Serena, and Pinar de Bédar, along with guests at the Miraflores tourist complex, remain under evacuation orders.
Spain’s Prime Minister, the Royal Household, and the newly elected President of Andalusia have all expressed their condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. Antonio Sanz described the disaster as the deadliest wildfire ever recorded in Andalusia.