🔴 Latest developments (July 12)
- The fire is under control, and more than 600 evacuees have returned home. The forensic police have obtained genetic profiles of all twelve victims, but confirmation of their identities is still pending. El Mundo ↗ABC ↗
- The probable cause of the fire was an abandoned electrical cable, the French newspaper Le Monde reported. Meanwhile, governments are trading political blame — the opposition-run Andalusian Junta (PP) did not activate the region-wide ES-Alert mobile warning system, which was criticized by the central government's Transport Minister Puente. Minister Bolaños distanced himself from the criticism, while the Junta claims the warning would have caused "irreparable damage" to transport. Le Monde ↗El Mundo ↗
Rescue teams found several victims in vehicles that had been caught by the flames. Initial reports spoke of six dead, but the toll later rose to at least twelve victims. The fire broke out approximately 300 kilometers north of Málaga and struck an area in the autonomous region of Andalusia. Tagesschau ↗
Regional authorities described the event as extremely serious. The regional health official spoke of an unprecedented tragedy and of the fire with the deadliest consequences in Andalusia to date. Available reports also note that Spain repeatedly faces devastating forest fires during the summer months, fueled by high temperatures and dry conditions. Independent ↗
Further developments will depend on the firefighters' response, weather conditions, and the investigation into the circumstances under which the victims found themselves in the affected area. Authorities will also continue to clarify the extent of the damage and any measures to protect residents near the site of the fire. Der Standard ↗
