The fire in Los Gallardos remains active and forces new evacuations with 23 people still unaccounted for and 12 dead

The Los Gallardos forest fire remains active and has forced the evacuation of another 50 people in El Marchal, within the municipality of Lubrín, this Friday afternoon. The fire shows a more favorable evolution in its eastern part, near the A-7 highway, although the western flank now concentrates the greatest concern due to the intensity of the flames and their advance over very rugged terrain.

The Civil Guard simultaneously maintains searches of homes, farmhouses, and land that search teams can now access. So far, no new victims have appeared in these inspections, so the provisional balance remains at 12 people deceased, eight injured, and 23 still unaccounted for.

The western flank concentrates the greatest effort

The operational leaders have explained that work is progressing with good results in the eastern part of the fire, where technical fire maneuvers have been carried out to slow its progression near the A-7. The situation is more complicated towards El Marchal, due to the deep ravines, the length of the flames, and the speed with which they spread through that area.

The teams have concentrated a good part of the available ground resources there before nightfall. 32 aircraft, 271 Infoca and other fire department personnel, in addition to 200 members of the Military Emergency Unit are participating in the extinction. The wind remains between 20 and 30 kilometers per hour, with gusts reaching 40, although forecasts point to a decrease in its intensity starting at ten at night.

The fire has already forced the evacuation of nearly a thousand people since the emergency began. Some of them remain housed in facilities set up by nearby municipalities, while emergency services continue to evaluate when they can return to their homes. The affected area exceeds 3,000 hectares, with satellite estimates raising the area reached by the fire to about 3,800.

The Civil Guard continues to search for 23 people

Searches are carried out in those areas where the fire has been extinguished and there are safe conditions to enter. Mountain units, agents from the Reserve and Security Group, and territorial teams with vehicles prepared to circulate on difficult-to-access terrain participate in them.

The figure of 23 people unaccounted for is maintained with caution. The Junta has warned that some could be in shelters, hospitals, or accommodations they reached during the evacuation without having been able to contact their families yet. The Civil Guard has set up a service point to collect reports and data from those still looking for a loved one. Meanwhile, maximum cooperation is maintained between the Government of the Junta de Andalucía, presided over by Juanma Moreno, and the Government of Spain, with the presence on the ground of the Minister of Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska. 

Four of the eight injured remain in serious condition and have been transferred by helicopter to the Virgen del Rocío Hospital in Seville. Forensic work also continues to identify the deceased, several of whom are believed to be foreign nationals, although authorities are waiting to complete tests before officially confirming their identities.

The investigation points to a power line

The main hypothesis about the origin of the fire places the first focus next to a road, after the possible fall of a cable belonging to a private electrical installation. The investigation remains open and must determine both the exact origin of the line and its state of preservation. Endesa and Red Eléctrica have assured that the indicated line does not belong to their respective networks.

The president of the Junta, Juanma Moreno, explained that technicians evaluated sending a general alert to mobile phones during the emergency, but discarded it because the indications varied depending on each nucleus. Some homes had to be evacuated and others confined, with different routes and coverage problems in several areas. According to the Andalusian president, it was decided to make the announcements directly at the houses to prevent a single message from generating contradictory instructions.

The A-7 remains closed between kilometers 709 and 714, as does the AL-6109 road between kilometers 0 and 18. Andalusia has decreed three days of official mourning, which will last until midnight on Sunday, while the operation prepares for night work on the flank advancing towards Lubrín and the Civil Guard continues the search for people who are still missing.