People burn to death inside car in forest fire in Spain

Car is found amid vegetation burned in a forest fire in the region of Almería, in Andalusia, Spain
Jon Nazca/Reuters
Four people were found charred in a vehicle in a region affected by forest fires in southern Spain.
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The victims are believed to be British, as the car had the steering wheel positioned on the right side, said the regional head of energy management disasters, Antonio Sanz.
In total, 12 deaths were confirmed. Eight other people were found scattered in the trail left by the fire, after apparently abandoning their vehicles and trying to escape on foot.
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The fire started on Thursday in the region of Los Gallardos, an area of rugged terrain, full of ravines and scattered houses, trapping people who were trying to escape, according to the first investigations.
In this region, a few kilometers from the hot Andalusian Mediterranean and in the middle of the winding terrain of Almería, many live foreigners, attracted by the sun and tranquility.
In recent days, local mayors and police went door to door in the region's houses indicating safe evacuation routes for residents and tourists. Those who were in the village of Bédar were advised not to leave the place.
Forest fire flames advance in the Los Gallardos district, in Almería, Spain, on July 10, 2026
José Jordan/AFO
Many of them, however, contrary to the authorities, ended up leaving Bédar, which was spared from the flames, and took the road towards the fire (read more below).
"The village of Bédar Bedar, in the end, was not affected by the flames in most cases, so the stay-at-home order prevented a more serious situation," said Juanma Moreno, regional president. who live in the region, including Britons and Belgians, Sanz said.
In addition to the 12 dead, 23 people remain missing in one of Spain's most serious forest fires in years. The flames remain out of control.
Security efforts
Moreno confirmed on Friday that no text message alert had been sent to residents of the villages located above Los Gallardos where the fire started, as guidance varied depending on where they lived in the mountainous, wooded terrain and how quickly the situation was developing.
Instead, local mayors and police went door to door or called residents, indicating a safe route for evacuation or instructing them to remain in their homes.
Ángel Collado, mayor of Bédar, the village where the victims fled, said he "acted from the first moment, knocking on every door and making the residents leave," or telling them to stay, depending on how the fire was going at that time. were preparing to leave and take shelter there. Instead, seven of them died trying to escape, he said.
Those who died also had not followed the indicated route. Sanz said they had chosen another exit route along a dry riverbed, which turned out to be a trap.
From a makeshift rescue center at a funeral parlor in the nearby village of Lubrín, Francisco, another Bédar resident, said police told him to stay at home as the fire approached and asked him to keep the phone line open.
"They told me: 'Francisco, don't hang up, we need to keep in touch. When the fire dies down a little, we will come and get him,'" he told the newspaper La Voz de Almería.
In the meantime, they tried to protect themselves as best they could.
"We broke the glass of a large window. We locked the front door and took refuge in the garage. We waited there for about two hours," he said.
They ended up being evacuated, although they still don't know what condition their house is in.
Electricity cable break
Los Gallardos was preparing to celebrate their local festivals when the tragedy happened.
The fire would have started, according to evidence, in a ditch, after the rupture of an electricity cable that the strong winds quickly made uncontrollable. In two hours, it spread 15 km.
More than 400 personnel from various bodies continue to fight this fire that has already devastated 3,150 hectares and forced the displacement of 600 people. According to forecasts, Saturday's weather conditions could make the firefighters' work easier.

Source: G1