In brief
The Almería province of southern Spain was ravaged by a week‑long wildfire that claimed 13 lives, including seven British nationals. Authorities confirmed that 12 of the victims were foreign citizens, with several Europeans and one American among the deceased. Families in the affected village of Bedar are grieving, as highlighted by a tragic Facebook post from a bereaved daughter. A survivor, 70‑year‑old Malcolm Timbrell, described how he escaped by hiding in one of the last cars that survived the flames, while his wife and friends perished. The blaze, which consumed around 7,000 hectares, was eventually contained as firefighters battled the scorching heatwave-soaked landscape.
The Almería province of southern Spain was ravaged by a week‑long wildfire that claimed 13 lives, including seven British nationals. Authorities confirmed that 12 of the victims were foreign citizens, with several Europeans and one American among the deceased.
In a statement, officials said seven of the victims were from the United Kingdom, three from Belgium, one from France and another from the United States, as cited by AFP and local media. The last victim was a Spanish citizen. The 13 people who died are eight women and five men, all adults.
Among the British nationals who died were couple Pete and Fran Gillam, who lived in Bedar, the village that bore the brunt of the wildfires. Their deaths were confirmed by their family. Posting on Facebook, their daughter Danielle Gillam‑Kirton, from Sheffield, said the family were heartbroken to share that they have received confirmation from the police that Mum and Dad did not survive the fire.
Nearly 1,500 people were evacuated from Almería province as firefighters battled the flames. British man Malcolm Timbrell, 70, who lives in the village of Bedar and survived the fires, spoke to the BBC outside his destroyed home high on the hillside. His wife and friends are believed to be among those killed during the wildfires.
Timbrell described the moment he was separated from the group, and attempted to take refuge in some abandoned cars: "Of the six cars, four of them instantly combusted and as each one started to go, I moved back one car. For some reason of fate, the last two cars, although very, very badly singed and paint bubbled and burnt, survived. And I survived inside the last one with a cat."
Spain has suffered frequent and severe heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures often exceeding 40℃. The fire, which has now been contained, burned through about 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres) of land, authorities say.
