At least 12 people were killed and six others injured in a devastating wildfire in Los Gallardos in Spain’s southeastern province of Almería as a prolonged heatwave continued to fuel blazes across southern Europe, according to international media reports.
The Andalusian regional government said the death toll rose after six more bodies were recovered. Several victims were found inside vehicles engulfed by flames, reports BBC.
Witnesses said the blaze may have been triggered by a fallen power line, although authorities have not confirmed the cause.
Around 150 firefighters, backed by Spain’s Military Emergency Unit, were deployed to battle the fire, while nearly 1,000 residents were evacuated and several roads were closed. Among the injured were people suffering from burns and smoke inhalation.
International media reported that Spain, France and Portugal are battling multiple wildfires as temperatures hover around 40 degrees Celsius. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had earlier announced the country’s largest-ever summer wildfire response amid warnings of an intense fire season.
Experts have linked the worsening wildfire season in southern Europe to climate change, with Europe warming at nearly twice the global average. Last year was the European Union’s worst wildfire season on record, with more than one million hectares of land destroyed by fires, according to international reports.
