After a night of calmer winds and higher humidity, emergency teams in Los Gallardos, Almería, have launched a direct attack on the wildfire, which has already devastated 6,600 hectares. Antonio Sanz, Andalusia’s regional minister for Presidency, Health and Emergencies, confirmed the shift from defensive containment to active suppression. He described the improved weather as a decisive change. For the first time since the fire broke out, the 500 personnel on site have a chance to halt the flames’ advance. The blaze began on 9 July and advanced at up to 100 metres per minute. By 11 July, authorities said it had stopped advancing and conditions favored stabilization. The burned area was then estimated at about 6,600 hectares, roughly 9,240 football fields.
The confirmed death toll remains 12, with no new bodies found in recent searches by the Guardia Civil. Authorities continue to describe 23 people as “unaccounted for” rather than officially missing, noting that some alerts came from people who had not been in contact with those concerned for years. Seven formal missing persons reports have been filed, but they do not correspond directly to the 12 confirmed fatalities. The number of evacuees stands at 1,448, with 164 temporarily housed in facilities set up by the Andalusian administration. Contemporaneous coverage said more than 1,000 people had been evacuated. Residents began returning after the fire was declared stabilized, while crews stayed on to tackle hot spots and prevent new outbreaks.
Biological samples from the deceased have been flown to Madrid for genetic analysis and identification. The Guardia Civil’s forensic teams are matching victims’ DNA with samples provided by relatives who have traveled to the area. The process is expected to clarify the identities of those who died in the fire. Later seasonal accounts reported higher final death tolls: Europa Press cited 13 fatalities, while subsequent coverage by El Debate and EFE Verde put the figure at 15. Those later counts rank the disaster among Spain’s deadliest wildfires and describe it as the deadliest wildfire in Andalusia’s recorded history.
Both Félix Bolaños, Spain’s Minister of Presidency and Justice, and Antonio Sanz have repeatedly urged residents to follow emergency instructions. Investigations suggest that failure to heed evacuation orders may have contributed to the deaths: nine people tried to escape via a dead-end farm track, while another group of four attempted to flee by car along a dry riverbed that became a deadly trap. The Guardia Civil has detained two individuals for defying evacuation orders and re-entering high-risk zones, where they resisted police efforts during the operation.
Firefighting efforts remain focused on the southwestern flank near Los Gallardos, where several active fire lines persist. Two helicopters and multiple aircraft are dropping water, with 22 additional aerial units on standby. Officials say continued favorable weather, particularly subdued winds, will be decisive in bringing the blaze under control. Some sections of the fire perimeter are nearly stabilized, but the northern area remains problematic. The fire spread from Los Gallardos toward the mountainous area of Bédar. Strong winds and high temperatures, combined with dry vegetation, fueled its rapid escalation. Later reporting put the final burned area at about 7,000 hectares and said thousands of livestock were left without pasture.
The response has also sparked political friction. The Andalusian government’s decision not to use the ES-Alert emergency messaging system on Thursday night drew criticism from national officials. Antonio Sanz defended the decision on technical grounds: the dispersed population and varied evacuation needs made targeted alerts impractical, while damaged communication infrastructure would have limited their effectiveness. Local volunteers instead went door to door to warn residents. Félix Bolaños played down the dispute, saying such decisions are based on technical criteria.
Wildfires are a recurring threat in Spain, particularly in Andalusia, where dry conditions and strong winds can quickly turn local blazes into major emergencies. The Los Gallardos fire highlights the challenges of coordinating large-scale evacuations in rural areas with scattered populations. Later figures showed the scale of the 2026 season. Andalusia recorded 58,735 hectares burned during its maximum-risk period, which regional authorities described as the worst on record. National reporting counted almost 280,000 hectares of forest loss across Spain. It also recorded 45 large fires. During the June-to-September campaign, 4,944 incidents burned 245,653 hectares. Antonio Sanz said natural emergencies were becoming more severe and displaying unprecedented behavior. Spain’s environment authorities have stressed the need to maintain firefighting capacity while strengthening prevention. The response may shape future policy on emergency alerts and rural fire management across the country.
