Los Gallardos, Almería: Andalusia's deadliest wildfire

On 9 July 2026 a vegetation fire ignited beside the N-340A near Los Gallardos, on the arid coastal fringe of Almería. Driven by strong winds through dry esparto grass, pasture and low scrub, it burned roughly 6,600 to 7,000 hectares, destroyed homes and vehicles, and forced the evacuation of more than 1,600 residents. Thirteen people were killed — the deadliest wildfire in Andalusian history and the third deadliest recorded in Spain.

There was no forest

This is the detail that should change how coastal property owners think about risk. Los Gallardos is not pine forest or mountain woodland. It is dry, low, open ground — the kind of terrain many owners assume is safe because there are no trees near the house. Grass and scrub fires move faster than forest fires and give far less warning; the front can cross open ground at speeds no one can outrun on foot.

What carried the losses

• Very high wind speeds on an exceptionally hot, dry day
• Continuous fine fuel right up to buildings and roadsides
• Fast onset — minutes, not hours, between ignition and impact on properties
• People caught in the open or in vehicles rather than in a defended structure

Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery mapped the burn scar within days. The satellite record for the Mediterranean coast now shows this pattern repeatedly: short, violent, wind-driven fires in light fuel near populated coastline, with almost no response window.