British families are urgently seeking information about loved ones missing in devastating wildfires that have swept through Bedar, Almeria, killing at least 12 people, including four British nationals. The death toll has risen from previous reports, with 23 individuals still unaccounted for as of Friday.
Bedar, an area with a significant British expatriate population, has become the focus of frantic searches. Out of its 1,009 residents, 447 are British nationals, according to 2022 statistics. Social media platforms and local forums have become vital channels for families desperately trying to locate relatives.
Danielle Gillam-Kirton, from Sheffield, posted on Facebook seeking information about her parents, Pete and Fran Gillam, who were last heard from via text message at 6:53 p.m. on Thursday as they evacuated their home. Patricia McGough is searching for her daughter, Caitie, who disappeared after leaving the wildfire area in a red Ford Fiesta with her dog. A post in the Mojacar Playa Community Facebook group requests information about a couple named Simon and Lisa, who were cut off by the fire, and the Mojacar Area Cancer Support charity is circulating a photo of Annette Kilgour, who has also been unreachable.
Another expatriate, Sophie Vanderbroek from Boston, has alerted local emergency services about her brother, who was reportedly among a group of 10 attempting to escape through a valley. Witnesses have described harrowing scenes, with some individuals and entire families perishing inside their vehicles as flames engulfed them while trying to flee.
Antonio Sanz, head of emergencies in the Andalusia region, stated that four Britons died in one vehicle and seven others were found dead after apparently abandoning their cars to escape on foot. Ten of the confirmed victims were foreign nationals, with one Spaniard deceased.
The wildfire, which prompted over 150 emergency calls, is suspected to have started after a power line fell, igniting dry vegetation. Authorities have not yet confirmed the cause. Roads were closed, and residents were evacuated, with approximately 50 people sheltered in a cultural center. The blaze spread rapidly through surrounding woodland.
One British resident, Sonia, described her terrifying escape, recounting how authorities advised an evacuation at 7 p.m. and recommended avoiding the main route out of Bedar. Many residents, unfamiliar with the area or caught off guard, chose alternative routes through the mountains, only to find some roads impassable due to the fire crossing them.
Sanz indicated that residents had been given conflicting advice: either to follow a recommended evacuation route or to shelter in place if the fire was too close. He suggested that taking an unrecommended route, such as a dry riverbed, proved to be a fatal trap for some. He noted that sheltering in place likely prevented a more dire situation for most of Bedar village, which was not directly consumed by flames.
However, another resident, Antonio Rubio, stated that smoke made sheltering in place impossible, forcing him to leave his home on Thursday afternoon. 'We did so of our own accord,' he said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his devastation over the wildfire's consequences. The head of the regional government of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, called the event a tragedy. The wildfires occurred during a heatwave in Spain, with temperatures reaching levels that heighten wildfire risk. Spain has experienced an increase in severe heatwaves in recent years, contributing to conditions conducive to large fires. In 2025, the country recorded its third-warmest year, and earlier in the month, a wildfire near Costa Brava forced thousands to remain indoors. Wildfires consumed nearly 400,000 hectares in Spain last year, the highest figure on record by the European Forest Fire Information System.