Wildfires in southern Spain kill 12, emergency agency says

At least 12 people have been killed in a devastating wildfire in southern Spain's Almeria province, with 150 firefighters battling the blaze.

Twelve people ​were killed in a ‌wildfire in Almeria ​in southern Spain, with 150 firefighters working to put out the blaze, the Emergency Agency ‌of Andalucía said early on Friday.

Minister of the Presidency, Health, and Emergencies Antonio Sanz called the fire "the most devastating fire to date in our region" ‌and described the situation as an "unprecedented tragedy". Earlier, there were reports of six ‌deaths from the wildfire.

"Our deepest condolences to the families of the six people who lost their lives in the Los Gallardos and the affection from all of us ⁠to ​the municipalities affected ⁠by the fire," Juanma Moreno, the leader of Spain's southern Andalusia region wrote in a ⁠post on X. Los Gallardos is a municipality of the Almería province in Spain's ​southern region of Andalusia. The blaze comes after a wildfire burning ⁠out of control in southern Franceearlier this week forced the evacuation of over 10,000 people ⁠from ​two dozen small towns and villages near the Spanish border.

Early summer heatwaves across western Europe in May and June have parched vast ⁠areas of land, making them particularly vulnerable to wildfires this year. Europe is ⁠warming at ⁠more than twice the global average, the World Meteorological Organization has said, making prolonged heat episodes increasingly likely.