Spanish authorities have identified all 13 victims of a fire that devastated a remote expat community in southern Spain, judicial authorities announced Tuesday. The victims, all adults, were foreign nationals with the exception of one Spanish citizen. Among the deceased were seven British citizens, three Belgians, and one French national. The fire, known as the Los Gallardos fire, consumed approximately 70 square kilometers (27 square miles) of forest and farmland, marking one of the deadliest blazes in Spain in recent years.
This incident occurred as parts of Europe continue to experience exceptionally high temperatures. In France, firefighters worked to control a forest fire in the historic Fontainebleau area, south of Paris, where temperatures reached up to 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit). France's national weather agency, Météo-France, warned that the combination of extreme heat and dry soil posed a significant wildfire risk across the country.
Spain is currently facing extreme heat, minimal rainfall, and strong winds, creating conditions conducive to the rapid spread of wildfires. Europe, in general, is warming at a rate twice the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, making it the world's fastest-warming continent.