Bédar Wildfire: Roads Became Death Traps as Victims Fled Off Designated Routes, Autopsies Complete on All 12 Bodies

Since the wildfire ignited Thursday afternoon in the Los Gallardos area of Almería, the death toll has held at 11 to 12 confirmed dead — the discrepancy reflecting an ongoing identification process — with 19 people still unaccounted for as of July 10, 2026.

The single most important new development: autopsies have been completed on all 12 bodies, according to the technical body overseeing identification work. Biological samples have been transferred to Madrid, where Spain's Civil Guard will work to formally identify the victims. Regional president Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla told reporters the bodies were "badly burnt and unrecognisable."

Why People Died: The Route Decision

Authorities have now given the clearest account yet of how the deaths unfolded. Residents of Bédar were instructed to either shelter in place or take a designated evacuation route. Residents of other mountain communities above Los Gallardos were told to evacuate via a recommended path.

Many did neither.

Andalusia emergency minister Antonio Sanz was direct about what happened: "Unfortunately, the decision to look for another way out through a ravine was a real trap." Four people were found dead in a single right-hand-drive vehicle, believed to be British nationals. Seven others had exited their cars and were attempting to walk out on an unofficial route and died there.

The fire advanced 15 kilometers in two hours, driven by winds gusting at roughly 50 kilometers per hour, according to Moreno. At that speed, any delay or wrong turn became potentially fatal.

Antonio Rubio, a handyman living in Bédar, told Reuters he left his home Thursday afternoon on his own initiative because the smoke was overwhelming, even though the fire never reached his house. Sonia, a British resident of Los Gallardos who declined to give her surname, told Reuters that the main road from Bédar to Los Gallardos was blocked because fire had already crossed it. This forced people to improvise alternate routes into the mountains before doubling back toward the coast. For at least some residents, the official route was physically impassable.

Nationalities and the Missing-Person Count

Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska confirmed that people of "different nationalities" are among the dead, without specifying countries. Four victims are believed to be British based on the right-hand-drive vehicle they were found in. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said consular services were attempting to contact Belgians who could not be reached.

The figure of 23 missing, cited in earlier reporting, has since been revised down to 19. Grande-Marlaska urged caution even with that number, noting some cases likely involve people unable to reach unharmed family members rather than actual victims. Formal missing-person reports filed with authorities number just seven, according to the identification oversight body.

The Guardia Civil directed anyone trying to trace missing relatives to its station in La Garrucha, where DNA samples are being collected for victim identification.

The Strongest Counterpoint on Evacuation Criticism

Witness accounts suggest the designated routes were not always viable. Sonia's account, reported by Reuters, describes a road already cut off by fire. Lucinda Curtois told BBC News her family was forced to turn around when they encountered fire on their intended escape road. If official routes were blocked by the time some residents attempted to use them, the framing of deaths as a consequence of ignoring instructions deserves scrutiny.

Sanz's instruction — "In an emergency, the authorities' instructions are not recommendations" — is sound as a general principle. Whether those instructions accounted for the fire's extraordinary speed, which Moreno himself described as advancing at "an extraordinary pace," is a question Spain's investigation will need to answer.

The Power Line Dispute

Moreno said the fire appears to have been caused by a downed electricity pole, and told Cadena Ser radio that those responsible for maintenance would be held accountable. Electricity company Endesa pushed back, stating the fallen power line was inactive and did not belong to them. Spain's investigation into the cause remains open.

What Comes Next

With 19 people still missing and formal identification of all 12 victims pending in Madrid, the confirmed death toll and nationality breakdown could change materially in the coming days. The Guardia Civil's DNA processing timeline has not been publicly specified.