Eyewitnesses described the devastation of the fires as ‘like a bomb had dropped’
ByGabriela Pomeroy And Nick BeakeEurope CorrespondentReport of The Gallardos
A British couple were found at the bottom of a ravine, badly burned and semi-conscious, after being caught in deadly wildfires that ravaged the Spanish province of Almeria, according to local media.
The two men are believed to have been hiking when they were caught in the fire, which spread quickly across the province on Thursday. They were evacuated and taken to hospital where they are in intensive care.
Hundreds of firefighters are battling the blazes, which have claimed the lives of 12 people, four of them believed to be British, and burned 6,600 hectares (16,300 acres), local authorities said.
The identity of those killed has not yet been officially confirmed.
The couple was discovered by Civil Guard officers searching for survivors near the worst-hit village of Bedar early Friday morning.
One of the rescuers, Sergeant Pedro Barre, said he heard distant cries for help.
“As you gain experience, something inside you says: ‘Look again, try again,'” he told Spanish public broadcaster TVE.
The rescue team followed the sound and ran down the side of a hill. They found the couple in critical condition, semi-conscious and with severe burns covering 40% of their bodies.
“Being able to call in the state they were in was a mammoth effort,” said Rafael Zea, another of the officers involved in the operation.
“We will never forget that look of surprise and emotion on their faces,” Barre added.
Emergency operations continue near Bédar as police restrict access to town
On Saturday, authorities said firefighters had made significant progress in bringing the blazes under control.
Calmer winds and higher air humidity should help firefighters bring the fire under control.
About 600 of around 1,500 people evacuated from the fire zone in Almería province have been told they can return, regional emergency chief Antonio Sanz said.
The Los Gallardos region is home to many foreign residents
On Sunday, dozens of people gathered at a roundabout below the village of Bédar, hoping to be allowed to return to their homes.
Many said they were unsure if their properties had survived the fire.
Their path was blocked by blue police tape and Civil Guard traffic officers.
Among those eagerly waiting were Mike and Belinda Lithgoe from Cornwall, who own a holiday property nearby.
They have been sleeping since the fires in their camper van alongside their dog Rocket.
They said they would be allowed to check their house for an hour later in the afternoon, following a meeting attended by the village mayor and emergency services.
“We are waiting to see if our house is still there,” Belinda said.
She said she was “hopeful” because the smoke was on the other side of the mountain as they fled.
“It’s impossible to know,” Mike said.
“You hope he’ll have gone down the ravine and gone around rather than going back up through the village.”
Police blocked roads leading to Bédar on Sunday after the fires
Emma Mitchell and her husband were also waiting nearby.
Emma disputed an earlier statement by local authorities that some of those killed had not taken a designated escape route.
“We’ve lived here full-time for three years and there’s never been any information about taking this road in case of a fire, ever.”
She also condemned the decision not to send text messages to all phones in the area.
“I think they should have done the mobile alert, like they do for earthquakes. I know they said it was too technical and complex… but the reality is that here in Bédar, there are very few officials.”
Local officials previously said they did not issue an alert Thursday evening because the alert could have reached people beyond the affected area and could have complicated evacuations.
Emma said her local police officer as well as local firefighters had been magnificent in their individual efforts, visiting dozens of people as the fire grew.
The fire ravaged 6,600 hectares (16,300 acres) of land
A prolonged heatwave with temperatures hovering around 40°C (104°F) caused wildfires in southern Europe this summer, notably in France, Portugal and Spain.
Los Gallardos Mayor Francisco Miguel Reyes told Spanish radio station Cadena SER on Friday that “it was like a bomb had fallen” on the region.
“This is the first time we have faced such a devastating fire.”
Hundreds of firefighters, military and law enforcement personnel, as well as 30 aircraft, continued to respond to the fire.
Forensic doctors in Madrid are using samples taken from the victims’ bodies and DNA samples from the families of the missing to try to identify the dead.
The identification process was slowed as collecting DNA samples from relatives proved difficult, with family members coming from other countries.
A helicopter from the Andalusian Fire Fighting Service dampens the embers on Saturday
With at least 12 deaths, it is already one of the deadliest forest fires in Spanish history.
In 1984, 20 people died in a fire on the Canary island of La Gomera, while in 1979, 21 people, including nine children, died in a forest fire near Lloret de Mar in northeastern Spain.
Climate change is raising temperatures around the world, and Europe is the fastest-warming continent, warming twice as fast as the global average, according to the Copernicus climate service.
This is causing increased summer heatwaves, increased pressure on Europe’s water supplies and more intense wildfires.
Forest fires also hit France during the summer months.
On Monday, more than 10,000 people were evacuated from their homes in the foothills of the French Pyrenees.
However, French authorities announced on Saturday that 32 people had been arrested on suspicion of starting the fires.
Additional reporting by Kostas Kallergis