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Spanish authorities completed post-mortem examinations to confirm the identities and nationalities of 13 people killed in the Almeria wildfire, with the regional government announcing the details on July 14. Seven of the victims were British, three Belgian, one French, one American and one Spanish, according to statements cited by Agence France-Presse. The public identification body noted that the group comprised eight women and five men, all adults.
Among the British dead was a 93-year-old woman who succumbed to burn injuries days after the blaze, a report from Reuters indicated. Pete and Fran Gillam, a couple who had made their home in the village of Bédar, were also identified, with their daughter Danielle Gillam-Kirton from Sheffield announcing the confirmation from police on Facebook. The family expressed that they were heartbroken by the news.
A British survivor, Malcolm Timbrell, described to BBC News how he escaped by sheltering in a sequence of abandoned cars as the fire advanced on Bédar. Four of the vehicles burst into flames while he moved between them, eventually surviving in the last one with a cat, even as his wife and friends lost their lives attempting to flee on foot. Timbrell’s home was destroyed in the incident that centered on the Los Gallardos area, according to a Guardian account from a friend of one victim.
Regional officials reported that almost 1,500 people had to be evacuated from the province as more than 7,000 hectares burned before the fire was brought under control by July 15. Firefighting teams, supported by aerial units, contained the blaze after it ravaged large tracts of land in southern Spain. The scale of the destruction has left multiple structures in ruins across the affected hamlets.
This wildfire stands as the deadliest recorded in Andalusia and ranks third in Spain’s modern history, an overview by civil protection authorities indicated. It unfolded during a period of extreme heat that has characterized recent Spanish summers, with the national weather service AEMET recording temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in the region prior to the outbreak. Investigators continue to examine the origin of the fire, which remains undetermined.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office stated that it is assisting the families of the British victims and coordinating closely with Spanish officials on the matter. Additional names of the deceased are expected to be released as DNA analysis concludes, according to local authorities. Support services for evacuated residents have been established in nearby locations to aid recovery efforts.
