Seven British citizens were among the thirteen dead.
Seven British citizens were among 13 people killed in devastating bushfires that swept through the southern Spanish province of Almeria, Spanish authorities confirmed on Tuesday after completing post-mortem examinations.According to officials, 12 of the victims were foreign nationals — seven from the United Kingdom, three from Belgium, one from France and one from the United States — while the remaining victim was a Spanish citizen, Agence France-Presse reported.Authorities said that among the dead were eight women and five men, all of whom were adults.The fire, which broke out on Thursday and has since been brought under control, has become one of the deadliest forest fires in Spain in recent decades, scorching some 7,000 hectares of land and forcing nearly 1,500 people to flee their homes.The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it was supporting affected British nationals and their families while remaining in close contact with the Spanish authorities.
The family pays tribute to the British couple
Among the dead were Pete and Fran Gillam, a British couple who lived in the village of Bidar, one of the communities worst affected by the inferno.Their daughter, Danielle Gillam Kirton, confirmed her death in an emotional Facebook post.
“We are extremely saddened to have received confirmation from police that mum and dad did not survive the fire,” she wrote, thanking well-wishers for their support during the family’s ordeal.Spanish authorities said many victims died while trying to escape the flames in their cars as the fire spread quickly through the area.
The survivor remembers the terrifying escape
One British resident who survived the disaster, 70-year-old Malcolm Timbrell, described his harrowing experience as the fire swept through the hills near his home in Bidar.Speaking after the fire, Timbrell said he was separated from his wife and friends, who he feared were among the dead, before taking refuge in abandoned cars.He added: “Of the six cars, four of them burned instantly.” “For some reason, the last two cars survived. And I survived inside the last car with a cat.”
British holidaymakers were rescued from the valley
In a rare moment of hope amid tragedy, a British couple on holiday in Spain were rescued alive after being discovered badly burned and nearly unconscious in a ravine near Bidar.It is believed the couple were hiking when the forest fire spread quickly, and were found after Civil Guard officers heard faint cries for help while searching for survivors during the night.They were airlifted to hospital, where they remain in intensive care with severe burns covering about 40% of their bodies.
One of the worst forest fire disasters in Spain
The forest fires destroyed about 7,000 hectares in Almeria province before firefighters were able to contain them. Spain has experienced increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves in recent years, with summer temperatures often rising above 40 degrees Celsius, creating conditions that have fueled an increasing number of devastating forest fires.
