Spain’s Almeria Wildfire Nears Containment; 12 Dead and 600 Evacuees Allowed Home

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing AFP, a wildfire in Spain’s southern Almeria province was close to being brought under control on Sunday, July 12, and about 600 residents were allowed to return home after being evacuated. The blaze has killed at least 12 people and burned about 6,600 hectares, authorities said. Firefighters made significant progress on Saturday, July 11, stabilizing most of the fire’s perimeter, prompting officials to allow roughly 600 of nearly 1,500 evacuees to return, while warning they would remain highly cautious in follow-up operations. Spain’s Justice Minister Felix Bolanos said weaker winds and higher humidity helped crews advance directly on the fire and that it did not expand further on Saturday. Officials said some of the dead may be foreigners, and identification has been slow as some families must travel from overseas to provide DNA samples; the number of missing remains unclear pending identification and autopsies.