Deadly Almeria fire potentially caused by power line collapse

Initial investigations into the devastating forest fire in the Almeria municipality of Los Gallardos that started on Thursday point directly to a structural failure in the power lines as the cause of the tragedy.

The main hypothesis the emergency services and the authorities are working on is firmly based on the testimonies of local residents and drivers, who alerted rescue services from the moment the first clouds of smoke appeared in the area.

The emergency services handled more than 150 calls in just a few hours, providing key, consistent and unanimous information about the circumstances and the exact kilometre where the disaster began.

According to official information, the fire was initially located at kilometre 511 of the N-340A national motorway, within the municipality of Los Gallardos. The callers told the coordination centre operators that a power line had fallen, which had immediately caused a small fire next to the road.

Due to the terrain, the flames spread extremely rapidly to the wooded area closest to the motorway, creating a large-scale fire that advanced uncontrollably towards the surrounding homes and villages.

The severity of the accident and the speed with which the fire was spreading forced regional minister of health and emergencies Antonio Sanz to raise the contingency plan to emergency level 2.

Following the initial calls, the coordinating centre urgently mobilised the Infoca forest fire prevention plan, the province's fire stations, the Guardia Civil, the National Police and the Andalusian emergency group (GREA).

The power company was also immediately asked to cut off electricity, secure the damaged infrastructure and investigate the exact cause of the fallen power line.

This event has already become one of the most devastating wildfires to date in Andalucía. The provisional death toll has risen to 12 following the discovery of six more bodies in the area.

Sanz declared the incident an "unprecedented tragedy" and expressed his deep condolences to the victims' families. He said that all of Andalucía is in mourning.

The fire has also caused closures on the main land transport routes in the region. Authorities have closed both the N-340A near kilometre 511 and the A-7 motorway, specifically between kilometres 709 and 714 in the northbound direction. These closures aim to ensure the public's safety in the face of the intense smoke and prevent regular traffic from obstructing the passage of heavy emergency vehicles.

The consequences of the fire are also evident in the large number of people injured and evacuated as a precaution in several towns. Emergency medical services had to urgently transfer a woman with serious burns to the Torrecárdenas hospital, as well as another person suffering from severe smoke inhalation. Additionally, four other people received on-site treatment for respiratory problems and minor burns.

In these moments of extreme uncertainty, the residents of the Almocáizar, Fuente del Albarico, Los Pinos and La Serena areas remain evacuated. Residents of the El Pinar area in the nearby town of Bédar have also had to evacuate due to the proximity of the smoke and fire.

The local authorities have urgently opened the town's performing arts centre, where 54 people are currently receiving assistance from the emergency personnel.

To tackle this devastating fire, the Andalusian regional government's firefighting service have requested support from the military emergency unit (UME). In total, the operation on the ground includes approximately 150 personnel, comprising 16 teams of forest firefighters, two operations technicians, two fire suppression technicians, an environmental officer and a deputy director from the regional or provincial operations centre.

The operation also has four fire engines, a forest fire medical unit, a command team and a unit from the Andalusian regional government's emergency network.

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