Overview
- A fast‑moving wildfire that began on Thursday, July 9, in the Bédar and Los Gallardos area killed 13 people and forced the evacuation of about 1,448 residents.
- Officials completed post‑mortem work and used DNA to identify victims because many bodies were too badly burned for visual ID.
- Seven of the confirmed dead are British and several other victims are foreign nationals, while survivors include two hikers flown to a specialist burns unit with severe injuries.
- Witnesses who escaped described a moving firewall that raced through parched hills as temperatures reached about 44°C and the blaze destroyed roughly 7,000 hectares of scrub and homes.
- Investigators are examining possible causes, including reports that a falling electrical cable may have ignited the fire, and regional authorities are reviewing evacuation procedures and coordinating consular support and repatriation.