The Los Gallardos fire leaves eleven dead and eight injured while a large deployment continues to contain the fire: "An unprecedented tragedy"

The forest fire declared between the Almeria municipalities of Los Gallardos and Bédar has left a provisional toll of eleven people dead and eight injured, four of them seriously, in what the Junta de Andalucía has described as "an unprecedented tragedy" and the fire with the highest number of fatalities recorded so far in the autonomous community.

The Minister of the Presidency, Interior, Social Dialogue and Administrative Simplification, Antonio Sanz, explained that identification work continues on the ground, although he advanced that everything indicates that "the majority, or all," of the deceased would be foreign citizens. The number of victims, he warned, remains provisional as the work of emergency teams progresses.

According to the reconstruction offered by the Junta, the affected people chose to seek an exit on their own, instead of remaining confined or following the evacuation routes established by emergency services. Sanz described that escape route as "a real trap", as it became surrounded by the advancing fire. In relation to the injured, four remain in serious condition due to burns of varying degrees and could be transferred to the Virgen del Rocío Hospital in Seville, a reference center for this type of injury. Another four people have less serious injuries and remain under medical care.

The deployed device to deal with the emergency continues to work on a fire that continues to be very complex due to the terrain's relief. As Sanz detailed, the flames are advancing through an area of ravines difficult for heavy machinery to access, and the "right flank is the most worrying" due to the risk of spreading to cultivated areas.

The latest update places the affected perimeter at about 3,150 hectares, while 122 people have had to be rehoused between the Lubrín theater and the Garrucha sports center. In addition, several population centers in eastern Almeria remain evacuated, including Almocáizar, Fuente del Albarico, Los Pinos, La Serena, Pinar de Bédar and the Miraflores tourist complex.

Political reactions and support for those affected

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has conveyed from the UN summit in Turkey his "enormous sadness and desolation" for what happened, has sent his condolences to the families of the deceased and has wished a speedy recovery to the injured. For his part, the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has also spoken on social media, calling the situation "terrible" and conveying "all strength to the neighbors who remain displaced," in addition to demanding that "the collaboration of administrations be a priority so that all necessary aid arrives in these crucial hours."

On the ground, the Red Cross has deployed psychosocial care teams to accompany the victims' families, with a center set up in Mojácar, while the Civil Guard has opened a complaints office at its post in Garrucha, with the priority objective of "the identification of missing persons" through DNA tests. Emergencies 112 Andalucía has also launched a psychological support line (677 904 624) for those affected.

> 🚨 #IFLosGallardos (Almería)

📞 Teléfono de atención a familiares: 677 904 624

Este servicio ha sido habilitado por el GIPED (Grupo de Intervención Psicológica en Emergencias y Desastres) para ofrecer atención e información a familiares de las personas afectadas por el… pic.twitter.com/J9laUOW8pb

— EMA 112 (@E112Andalucia) July 10, 2026

The seriousness of the situation has forced the postponement of the swearing-in of the new counselors of the Andalusian Government, scheduled for this morning at the San Telmo Palace, headquarters of the Presidency of the Junta.