As a result of a massive forest fire in the Spanish province of Almeria, at least 13 people have died. This is reported by UNN with reference to Reuters, RTVE and the EFE agency.
The latest victim was a 93-year-old British citizen who died in hospital from burns sustained. Another ten people are considered missing.
What is known about the dead and injured
The elderly British woman died on the evening of July 12. According to doctors, she had burns covering approximately 20% of her body surface, and her condition was complicated by severe concomitant diseases.
Another 12 people died directly in the fire zone. Four of them were found in a burnt car, and eight more bodies were discovered in a scorched valley. According to preliminary data, the people may have left their cars and tried to escape on foot through the bed of a dried-up river, but found themselves trapped.
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Seven injured remain in hospitals, three of them in serious condition.
Spanish law enforcement officers continue the identification of bodies. Experts have obtained genetic profiles of the deceased and are comparing them with DNA samples from relatives. Consular services of Great Britain, Belgium and France have been involved in the work.
According to preliminary information, among the victims is a Spanish citizen, while the majority of the other deceased may be foreigners, including Britons and Belgians. Final data will be published after the identification procedure is completed.
Where the fire broke out
The fire broke out on July 9 near the municipality of Los Gallardos in the autonomous community of Andalusia. The fire later spread towards the mountainous settlement of Bedar and neighboring communities.
According to preliminary estimates, about 7,000 hectares of forests, agricultural land and shrubs have been burned. The perimeter of the fire exceeded 40 kilometers.
At the critical moment, the fire covered about 15 kilometers in just two hours. In some places, the flames advanced at a speed of up to 100 meters per minute.
The rapid spread of the fire was facilitated by strong winds with gusts of up to 50 kilometers per hour, heat, low humidity, complex mountainous terrain and a large amount of dry vegetation.
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Ten people remain missing
As of July 13, Spanish law enforcement had received reports of ten missing people. Earlier, eight people were reported missing.
The authorities do not rule out new appeals from relatives living outside Spain. Some of the missing may be among the as-yet-unidentified deceased, so the number of victims and missing persons cannot be summed up.
About one hundred Civil Guard officers, military personnel, rescuers and dog handlers were involved in the search operation. A complete survey of the burned area was completed on July 12, and no new bodies were found then.
Evacuation and firefighting
Due to the fire, authorities evacuated approximately 1,400–1,600 people from Bedar, Lubrin, Los Gallardos, Antas and other settlements.
After the situation stabilized, about 600 residents were initially allowed to return home, and on July 12, another approximately one thousand evacuees. Most residential buildings in the fire spread zone were saved.
The fire was fought by over 500 firefighters and emergency workers, military units, helicopters and aircraft. Rescuers managed to stop the spread of flames across the highway towards densely populated coastal areas.
Currently, the fire has been declared stabilized, and its perimeter localized. At the same time, this does not mean the complete extinguishment of the fire: individual pockets of ignition may remain inside the burned area.
Disputes over notification of residents
Regional authorities claim that residents were advised to stay in their homes or use designated evacuation routes. According to officials, some of the victims chose a different path and ended up in the zone of rapid fire spread.
Centralized warnings were not sent to mobile phones. Authorities explained this by saying that recommendations for residents differed depending on the location of homes and the direction of the fire's movement. Information was transmitted by mayors, police and emergency workers.
At the same time, relatives of some of the deceased claim that people did not receive timely warnings. In particular, the son of a deceased Belgian citizen stated that his father and neighbors only began to flee when the flames were already approaching their homes.
The circumstances of the warning and evacuation are to be verified during the investigation.
Preliminary version of the cause of the fire
One of the main versions of the fire's origin is the fall or damage of an electrical cable near the N-340A road.
Civil Guard officers who first arrived at the scene found a broken wire between two poles and a fire in the roadside ditch.
The companies Endesa and Red Eléctrica stated that the line does not belong to them. According to Endesa, the cable may have been de-energized. The final cause of the fire, the owner of the line, and possible liability for its maintenance are to be determined by the investigation.
Reaction of the authorities
Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez expressed condolences to the families of the deceased. On July 13, he is to visit the forward command post in the municipality of Turre and meet with heads of emergency services.
In the affected municipalities of Los Gallardos, Bédar, Antas, and Lubrín, points are being opened where local residents can report damages and submit documents to receive state and regional aid.
The fire in Almería has become one of the deadliest in modern Spanish history. In terms of the number of fatalities, it has already surpassed the 2005 fire in the province of Guadalajara, during which 11 firefighters died.
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