After France, Wildfires Strike Spain, Killing 12

Twelve people were killed in a wildfire in Los Gallardos in the southern Spanish province of Almería, the Emergency Agency of Andalucía said early on Friday. Around 150 firefighters were working to extinguish the blaze.

Initial reports had put the death toll at six.

Antonio Sanz, Andalusia’s minister of the presidency, health and emergencies, called it “the most devastating fire to date in our region” and described the situation as an “unprecedented tragedy”.

Juanma Moreno, the leader of the Andalusia region, offered his condolences to the victims’ families and expressed solidarity with the municipalities affected.

The blaze follows another wildfire in southern France earlier this week, which forced more than 10,000 people to evacuate from around two dozen towns and villages near the Spanish border.

Heatwaves across Western Europe in May and June have left vast areas of land parched and particularly vulnerable to wildfires.

(Reuters, Max)