During a fierce wildfire that swept Almeria province in southern Spain, a British couple was discovered wandering down a ravine, badly burned and semi‑conscious. The pair were hiking when flames rapidly spread through the hills around Bedar village, forcing a massive evacuation.
Early on Friday, Civil Guard officers located the couple, following distant cries for help. Sergeant Pedro Barre and fellow firefighters descended the side of the hillside and found the men with 40 % of their bodies covered in severe burns. The rescue was described as a “titanic effort” by officer Rafael Zea.
Recognition of the tragedy is still underway, with forensic teams in Madrid working to identify the bodies. The wildfires that began Thursday have already claimed 12 lives—including four Britons—and scorched over 6,600 hectares (16,300 acres) of forest and farmland.
In the days since, authorities report significant progress in containing the blaze. Calm winds and higher humidity have aided firefighters, and roughly 600 of the nearly 1,500 evacuees in Almeria can now return home, regional emergency chief Antonio Sanz said.
The outbreak occurs amid a summer heatwave that has set temperatures near 40 °C (104 °F) across southern Europe, contributing to the worst wildfires in Spain’s history. Experts warn that climate change is driving more frequent and intense heatwaves, putting the region at greater risk of future disasters.
