Almería wildfire kills at least 11 in southern Spain as heatwave drives flames across Andalusia
A wildfire that broke out Thursday afternoon in Los Gallardos, Almería province, killed at least 11 people and injured six by the morning of July 10; fires also spread to Benahavís and other Andalusia zones, with firefighters working overnight as winds pushed flames across multiple fronts during a Southern European heatwave
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Summary
A wildfire that broke out Thursday afternoon in Los Gallardos, Spain's Almería province, killed at least 11 people and injured six by the morning of July 10, making it one of the deadliest wildfires in recent Andalusian history. Fires spread simultaneously to Benahavís and parts of Granada, Jaén and the Costa del Sol, as firefighters worked through the night under wind conditions that drove multiple fronts. CGTN reported a toll of 12 dead. A Southern European heatwave has driven dry, hot conditions across the region.
Why it matters
Andalusia is already one of Spain's most fire-prone regions, and the July 10 outbreak combines high temperatures, low humidity and wind in the same overnight window across multiple provincial zones simultaneously, testing civil emergency capacity across southern Spain.
What to watch
- Final confirmed death toll as search and rescue operations continue in Almería province
- Whether Spain's national government declares a catastrophic emergency and activates federal fire suppression resources
- Whether the heatwave driving fire risk across Southern Europe intensifies or abates in the coming days