Regional emergency chief Antonio Sanz has revealed the fatal error that trapped victims as they tried to flee Thursday’s wildfire near Los Gallardos, in Andalusia – all believed to be foreign nationals. A severed power cable is suspected to have sparked the blaze, which has also left eight people injured, four of them in serious condition.

Chaos is unfolding in Los Gallardos, a municipality of 3,110 residents in Almeria province, following the outbreak of a major forest fire on Thursday.

According to the latest update from the regional government of Andalusia, the death toll now stands at 11, with eight people injured – four of them in serious condition and due to be airlifted this morning to Virgen del Rocío hospital in Seville.

Antonio Sanz, the Andalusian Regional Minister for the Presidency, Health and Emergencies, revised the initial death toll down from 12 to 11. He said authorities have so far evacuated 122 people. Andalusia’s 112 emergency service reported handling more than 150 alert calls, tracing the fire’s origin to kilometre 511 of the N340 motorway, where a fallen power cable is believed to have ignited the blaze.

Trapped by the Flames’ Extreme Speed

Sanz said the victims were caught off guard by the fire’s “extremely rapid spread” through an area with particularly complex terrain and homes scattered across a hillside, as they attempted to flee the town of Bedar. The fire is thought to have started from a downed power cable before spreading rapidly into forested land.

When the fire broke out, authorities initially ordered an evacuation of part of the town. However, seeing the alarming speed of the flames, they decided to implement a full lockdown for residents’ safety, a decision that was communicated to the whole population. That call proved correct, as the town itself was ultimately saved from the fire.

A group of people nevertheless attempted to escape on their own, following a dry riverbed rather than the designated evacuation route.

“The decision to take a different route, seeking their own way out through the dry riverbed, proved to be a deadly trap for those who died,” Sanz said.

Victims Believed to Be Foreign Tourists

All of those killed are believed to be foreign tourists. Four of the victims were found burned beyond recognition inside a car with the steering wheel on the right-hand side, leading authorities to conclude they were British nationals.

The remaining seven victims were on foot. It appears they had abandoned their vehicles and set out walking in search of an escape route before becoming trapped and losing their lives.

Andalusia’s Deadliest Wildfire on Record

Although the toll remains provisional, this is already the deadliest wildfire ever recorded in Andalusia since official records began.

Lloret de Mar (Girona), August 1979: 21 dead in the Los Pinares residential area

La Gomera (Canary Islands), 1984: 20 dead

Riba de Saelices (Guadalajara), July 2005: 11 dead, all members of a firefighting crew