10/07/2026 03:50 - Internacionales
According to Spanish media such as El País and La Voz, an extremely severe wildfire broke out on Thursday, July 9, 2026, in the municipality of Los Gallardos, in the province of Almería. This region is located in the southern Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia, known for its hot, dry summers which make it highly susceptible to forest fires.
The Junta de Andalucía (the regional government) updated the preliminary toll from the early morning, establishing the figure at 11 deceased, although they warned this remains a provisional number. Sources from the Government Delegation indicated that several victims were found dead inside charred vehicles in a district of the neighboring municipality of Bédar.
As a preventive measure, the evacuation of approximately 1,000 people was ordered from areas including Almocáizar, Fuente del Albarico, Los Pinos, La Serena, Pinar de Bédar, and residential developments like Parque Botánico and Los Flamingos. At least two people were reported seriously injured: a woman with burns and another person suffering from smoke inhalation. Both were transferred to the Hospital de Torrecárdenas in Almería.
Antonio Sanz, the Minister of the Presidency, Health and Emergencies of Andalusia, stated that this is the fire with the greatest consequences in the autonomous community's history. To combat the flames, around 150 personnel from the Plan Infoca (Andalusia's regional forest fire plan) were deployed, along with five fire engines and the Military Emergency Unit (UME). Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the President of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, expressed their condolences and described the situation as an unprecedented tragedy.
While the official cause is under investigation, witnesses called the emergency number 112 to report a fallen power line near the N-340 highway, which may have sparked the flames. The A-7 motorway (between kilometers 709 and 714) and the N-340A remain closed to traffic.
The disaster in Almería was not isolated. In Estepona (Málaga), another fire broke out in a wooded area, prompting the preventive evacuation of about 100 residents from the Parque Botánico Country Club residential complex. Over 100 professionals and 13 aerial units were deployed to this area.
Furthermore, in the province of Córdoba, a fire originating on the roadside of the old N-IV road interrupted high-speed rail traffic (AVE) between Madrid and Andalusia on Thursday afternoon. According to Adif (the Spanish railway infrastructure manager), the fire was extinguished around 9:00 PM, and train services were gradually restored.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
