Forest fire in Almería leaves 12 dead and forces evacuation of 1,400 people By Maria
2 min read
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A serious forest fire caused the death of at least twelve individuals on Thursday, July 10, 2026, in the municipality of Los Gallardos, located in the province of Almería, Spain. The scale of the catastrophe mobilized local and state authorities, leading the president of the Regional Government of Andalusia, Juan Manuel Moreno, to officially declare three days of mourning in respect for the victims and the community affected by this unexpected tragedy. The Institute of Forensic Medicine of Almería has already completed the autopsies of the twelve bodies found, a crucial step towards understanding the causes of the deaths. However, the formal identification of victims represents a significant challenge and has not yet been completed, according to the latest updates released by the Integrated Data Center (CID), adding a layer of pain and uncertainty for families. In addition to the confirmed deaths, the number of missing people remains a constant concern, with twenty-three individuals with no known whereabouts. The situation on the ground is complex, with eight people injured, four of them in serious condition, requiring intensive care and immediate medical intervention.
The most critical patients were promptly transported by helicopter to the Virgen del Rocío Hospital in the city of Seville, highlighting the severity of the injuries and the need for specialized resources. Initially, the number of reports of missing people had increased to seven, five more than on the morning of the incident, however, the general count of individuals whose whereabouts are unknown remains at twenty-three, maintaining a scenario of apprehension and intense searches. The advance of the fire, which has already devastated an area estimated at 5,000 hectares, a considerable extension of forest and vegetation, forced the preventive evacuation of around 1,400 residents from their homes, many of them seeking shelter in safe, temporary locations. The firefighting operation was severely compromised by the presence of strong winds, which reached speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour. This adverse weather condition proved to be a crucial factor in the rapid spread of the fire, making the actions of firefighters and rescue teams extremely challenging and dangerous. Given the persistence of the fire and the increasing risk, the Civil Guard needed to expand the evacuation areas, now also covering the southern region of Lubrín to guarantee the safety of the population. Preliminary investigations to determine the exact origin of the incident are ongoing, but initial evidence suggests that a downed power cable may have been the trigger for the devastating fire, highlighting the dangers associated with infrastructure in areas of dense vegetation and weather conditions conducive to natural disasters such as this.
