Summary
At least 12 people have died in a wildfire in southern Spain, with early indications suggesting four of the victims are British, according to a local official
Hundreds of emergency responders are working to contain the blaze around Los Gallardos, Almería – officials say they’ve never had such a devastating fire
The bodies of the victims were found near the small village of Bédar, just outside Los Gallardos, while 23 others are still missing and hundreds of residents have been evacuated
The fire is “more or less” under control but “if the wind picks up again, things could get complicated”, the mayor of nearby town Antas tells Spanish media
Meanwhile, the UK Foreign Office is in touch with the relevant authorities in Spain over the “concerning” reports of British casualties, Downing Street says
A sustained heatwave with temperatures of around 40C (104F) has caused wildfires across southern Europe this summer
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‘The sky was getting darker. Then there was that smell of smoke’
James Kelly
BBC News
Peter Chapman and his wife Shelagh have a holiday home they’ve owned for 20 years in Mojácar – a short drive from Los Gallardos wildfire.
They first saw signs of the fire on Thursday evening. “I thought, ‘there’s a storm coming,’ because the sky was getting darker. Then there was that smell of smoke in the air,” Peter tells BBC.
“You could see a glow in the sky in the distance. The only way I can describe it is by thinking of how my mother used to describe the London bombings during the Second World War. It was surreal,” he says.
The couple went to bed as normal, and say they woke this morning to ash in the sky and smoke in the air.
“We’re still able to sit outside and we’re not being affected by the smoke at the moment. We’ve seen a number of aircraft in the sky, which we think are picking up water to douse the flames.”
Thirty aircraft and hundreds of personnel fighting fire – regional leader
The regional leader of Andalusia Juanma Moreno says there are 30 aircraft and “hundreds of personnel” fighting the fire in Los Gallardos, in a short update on social media.
“Stay strong and keep up the great effort,” Moreno adds.
Local mayor fears wind picking up could ‘complicate’ response
A fire service helicopter drops water onto one of the fire’s hotspots in Los Gallardos, Almeria, SpainThe mayor of a town near where the wildfire is burning says the fire is “more or less” under control but warns “if the wind picks up again, things could get complicated”.
Pedro Riado, the mayor of Antas, tells Spanish broadcaster RTVE there has been significant damage to land in the area but the fire has not reached any homes yet.
The mayor says that authorities will be keeping a close eye on wind and air conditions, “which is our main concern right now”.
