article_detail

Two months have passed since the Los Gallardos wildfire tore through the mountains of Almería, and the human cost of that disaster has risen again. A British woman who had been hospitalised with severe burns at the Virgen del Rocío University Hospital in Seville died in the early hours of the mornning, bringing the total death toll from the fire to 15.

 

The woman, identified only by her initials ML, had lived in Spain for more than two decades. A resident of Canjáyar, she worked as a carer for elderly people in Bédar, one of the municipalities worst affected by the blaze. She suffered burns to approximately 40% of her body but managed to escape the fire with the help of a passing vehicle. Her sister, who shared the story on a crowdfunding platform, described how she had survived the initial escape, only to spend weeks fighting for her life in hospital.

 

The fire broke out on the afternoon of Wednesday July 9 in the Almocáizar area of Los Gallardos municipality, rapidly becoming one of the deadliest wildfires of the century in Spain, with at least 11 people confirmed dead in the first days. The death toll had already risen to 13 by the time the fire was declared extinguished on July 24, after burning through approximately 5,200 hectares across Bédar, Antas, Lubrín and Sorbas.

 

Of the 15 people now confirmed dead, 14 were foreign nationals. The majority were British, with the list also including three Belgian nationals, one French citizen and one American, alongside one Spanish victim. Nine of the dead were women and five were men. Twelve of the victims were found at the scene of the fire, where they had perished attempting to escape the flames. A 93-year-old woman who was rescued alongside ML died shortly after being admitted to hospital, and a further death was confirmed on July 28.

 

A judicial investigation into the origin and circumstances of the fire is being handled by Court Number 3 in Vera. At least eight relatives of victims have joined the proceedings.

 

 

Image: wikicommons