British Survivor: Alone in Car as Wildfire Kills Wife and Friends

Sun Sep 06 2026 05:28:32 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A 70‑year‑old Briton recounts surviving a deadly Spain wildfire in a car while 13 others died, including his wife and friends.

The Andalusian village of Bédar was consumed by a monstrous wildfire on the night of 12 July, leaving 13 people dead, including a 70‑year‑old British man, his wife, and seven close friends. Malcolm Timbrell survived inside one of the badly scorched cars, having taken his two beloved cats first and then escaping the blaze by driving away from the flammable road. He describes how the fire crept up at 20 kilometres per hour, burning four vehicles instantly, while the last two managed to hold out long enough for him to escape. Authorities report that many victims were not yet identified, with several British nationals among those found. The disaster has left the community bereft and the survivors grappling with grief and the loss of their homes, while the victims' families await DNA confirmations.

A 70‑year‑old British man named Malcolm Timbrell, who lived in the Andalusian village of Bédar with his wife Annette Kilgore, told the BBC about his terrifying escape from a wildfire that consumed the town on Thursday evening, killing at least thirteen people.

While the flames were racing up the hillside, the small community in Bédar – a village swallowed by dry, high winds – saw its residents scramble eight miles into packed roads packed with their neighbors’ vehicles. After securing their two cats, Malcolm attempted to keep the group together in their cars, but eight of them – his wife, Annette, and seven friends – chose to walk ahead of the fire front, hoping to escape the wall of flames that was moving at about 20 kilometres per hour.

He then tried to catch up to the hurrying cluster, finding that the cars in front of him had already caught fire. Of the six vehicles, four were instantly consumed, and Malcolm had to move from one to another, each becoming more and more singed. The last two cars survived the heat long enough for him to survive inside the last one with a cat.

"You'd never imagine it could happen. And when it does, and you're the only survivor, then you're left in a situation of, ‘What can I do?’" — Malcolm Timbrell

The blaze, one of Spain’s deadliest wildfires, obliterated homes, cars and the surrounding countryside. In the aftermath, bodies of eight people were found along a path down from the couple’s house, while four cars remained scorch‑marked. A further four victims, recovered in a right‑hand drive vehicle, were believed to be British, and three additional Britons and one national each from France, Belgium and Spain were among the declared casualties. One 93‑year‑old woman – believed to be British – succumbed to her injuries in hospital on Sunday.

Malcolm noted that local authorities were overwhelmed – seaplanes didn’t arrive before dark and helicopters couldn’t lift the smoke – and he has received an outpouring of support from friends of all nationalities. Despite his gratitude, the survivor bares the enormity of loss as the bodies are identified and DNA reports are awaited.