Hundreds of firefighters battle wildfire in southern Spain that killed at least 12

Hundreds of firefighters battle wildfire in southern Spain that killed at least 12 0 seconds of 1 minute, 19 secondsVolume 0% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Shortcuts Open/Close/ or ? Play/PauseSPACE Increase Volume↑ Decrease Volume↓ Seek Forward→ Seek Backward← Captions On/Offc Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreenf Mute/Unmutem Decrease Caption Size- Increase Caption Size+ or = Seek %0-9 Next Up Many English-speaking fans are turning to Spanish broadcasts for the World Cup 02:05 Subtitle Settings OffEnglish(US)_v Font Color White Font Opacity 100% Font Size 100% Font Family Arial Character Edge None Edge Color Black Background Color Black Background Opacity 50% Window Color Black Window Opacity 0% Reset WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25% 200%175%150%125%100%75%50% ArialCourierGeorgiaImpactLucida ConsoleTahomaTimes New RomanTrebuchet MSVerdana NoneRaisedDepressedUniformDrop Shadow WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25%0% WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25%0% 00:00 01:19 01:19 More Videos 02:05 Many English-speaking fans are turning to Spanish broadcasts for the World Cup 00:50 Trump's renewed attention on Greenland puts pressure on Europe 01:19 Israeli researchers test methods to locate and remove unexploded munitions from the Mediterranean 01:43 Can AI change lives for the better? 00:52 Stocks fall, oil soars after Trump says ceasefire with Iran is 'over' 00:38 Trump flies in an old Air Force One and transfers to a new one after Iran strikes 00:34 Bears in a Kosovo sanctuary receive cold treats to cope with heat 00:54 Spain fanatics sing and march to Los Angeles Stadium ahead of World Cup match against Belgium Close 1 of 7 | One of Spain’s deadliest wildfires on record killed 12 people overnight into Friday as soaring temperatures grip much of the country. Several victims of the fire in the southern province of Almeria, a popular holiday destination, were found inside burnt-out vehicles and were thought to have died while trying to flee the flames. Researchers say extreme events like this one are a “new reality” and a consequence of climate change. More Videos 0 seconds of 59 secondsVolume 90% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Shortcuts Open/Close/ or ? Play/PauseSPACE Increase Volume↑ Decrease Volume↓ Seek Forward→ Seek Backward← Captions On/Offc Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreenf Mute/Unmutem Decrease Caption Size- Increase Caption Size+ or = Seek %0-9 Next Up Hundreds witness Morocco’s World Cup loss to France during watch party at Dearborn, Michigan, park 01:18 Auto1080p1080p720p540p360p270p180p 00:00 00:59 00:59 More Videos Close 2 of 7 | Hundreds of firefighters backed by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft struggled Saturday to contain one of Spain’s deadliest wildfires that killed a least 12 people. (AP Video shot by Serge Cartwright) 3 of 7 | A view of a burnt area affected by wildfires in Bedar, near Almeria, Spain, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Marrero) 4 of 7 | A view of a burnt area affected by wildfires in Bedar, near Almeria, Spain, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Marrero) 5 of 7 | A view of a burnt area affected by wildfires in Bedar, near Almeria, Spain, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Marrero) 6 of 7 | A view of a burnt area affected by wildfires in Bedar, near Almeria, Spain, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Marrero) 7 of 7 | A view of a burnt area affected by wildfires in Bedar, near Almeria, Spain, Saturday, July 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Marrero) By SERGIO RODRIGO and SERGE CARTWRIGHT Updated 3:43 PM MESZ, July 11, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit BEJAR, Spain (AP) — Hundreds of firefighters backed by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft struggled Saturday to contain one of Spain’s deadliest wildfires that killed a least 12 people. A combination of light winds and high humidity are helping crews but the sheer size of the fire still poses challenges, Antonio Sanz, head of Andalusia’s emergency services, said. The fire has scorched some 66 square kilometers (25 square miles) of forest and farmland, about the size of Manhattan. Sanz said fire crews carried out controlled burns overnight around the perimeter of the fire, which broke out late Thursday in a semi-arid area near the Sierre de Los Filabres mountains in in Almería province, just as Spain was sizzling. Most of the victims, who are believed to be foreign nationals, died after ignoring shelter-in-place instructions, authorities said. Seven people died while on foot after abandoning their cars. Four of the dead were believed to be British because the steering wheel of their burned-out car was on the right side, as with British vehicles, regional authorities said. Sanz said Saturday that authorities had completed autopsies and DNA samples were collected to identify them. Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has spoken with his counterparts from the U.K., Belgium, Canada and the Netherlands about the fire, Spain’s official EFE news agency reported. Almería is home to one of the largest communities of foreign nationals in Andalusia. Authorities proactively evacuated 1,448 people from some 11 areas. wildfire devastates an expat community in southern Spain, killing at least 12 with 23 missing 1 MIN READ wildfire forces Tour de France to ban fans from stage finale as parts of Europe sizzle again 4 MIN READ France restricts public alcohol consumption and outdoor sports as heat wave bakes parts of Europe 4 MIN READ Fleeing the flames Jeffrey and Christine Kember were watching a favorite TV show in their Los Pinos farmhouse when the blare of a siren alerted them to the fire. Jeffrey Kember said at the sight of the advancing flames, both he and his wife jumped into their respective cars while also trying to help a neighbor with two toddlers. He described how the couple got separated and how he was unable to speak to his wife because she didn’t have a phone on her. “I’m driving through the flames. It was actually flames. I though, ‘I can’t stop, I just gotta go,” Jeffrey Kember told The Associated Press, with his wife next to him outside an evacuation center. “It was eerie because all of a sudden I came out of the flames and it was all bright sunshine. It was like surreal. Ridiculous!” Meanwhile, Spanish authorities arrested two people for ignoring evacuation orders and returning to a high-risk area, according to EFE. Authorities are still combing through the Bédar area in search for any victims. Spain has battled frequent and severe heat waves in recent years, with temperatures often exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Wind, high temperatures and little rainfall help small wildfires grow into unchecked blazes. Justice Minister Félix Bolaños on Saturday attributed the ferocity of the Almeira wildfire to a “climate emergency.” He said the fire, at its most intense, advanced as fast as 100 meters per minute (328 feet per minute.) Spain’s Meteorological Agency warned that the wildfire risk over the weekend will remain very high. In June, Spain experienced several days of record-setting heat, with over 1,000 excess deaths. Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus climate change Service. Parts of Western Europe are facing their third heat wave in six weeks. Globally, 2025 was the third-hottest year on record, bringing several intense heat waves across Europe. Several wildfires remained active across France on Saturday as temperatures soared. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that 32 people have been arrested across the country since the beginning of the summer in connection with wildfires. “Those unacceptable acts, which have disastrous consequences and mobilize our firefighters at the risk of their lives, now fall into the hands of the justice system,” he said. “We will continue our determined action and will not let anything slide.” French President Emmanuel Macron also weighed in, recalling in a post on X that nine out of 10 wildfires start because of human activity. More than 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres) of land have burned in France since the start of 2026, roughly double the area compared to the same period last year. France is experiencing the peak of its third heat wave this summer, with temperatures reaching 40 C across western and central areas and around 37 C (98 F) in Paris. In the French capital, the Eiffel Tower will close in the afternoon over the weekend instead of late at night, as it usually does. The Louvre and Orsay museum have also announced reduced opening hours because of the heat wave. Last month was France’s hottest June on record, with deaths surging by nearly a third during the hottest week. Spain is no stranger to wildfires, with last year’s fire season burning more than 393,000 hectares (971,000 acres). according to the European Forest Fire Information System, an area twice as large as London. Four people died. Spain’s deadliest wildfire was in 1979, when 21 people perished in Lloret de Mar, a coastal town about an hour north of Barcelona. In 2017, a wildfire in neighboring Portugal left 66 people dead in Pedrogao Grande, located 200 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of Lisbon. In that blaze, 47 people died on one road while similarly attempting to flee in their cars. Associated Press writer Samuel Petrequin in London contributed to this report.