Foreign Office updates Spain travel with stark 'wildfire' alert for Brits

Foreign Office updates Spain travel with stark 'wildfire' alert for Brits A 93-year-old British woman has died in hospital after suffering burns to about 20% of her body in the Spanish wildfires. Her death was confirmed on Sunday afternoon, bringing the total number of fatalities from the fires to 13. A stark warning has been issued to Brits travelling to Spain as the country continues to battle ferocious wildfires. A 93-year-old British woman has died following injuries sustained in the deadly wildfires that tore through southern Spain, authorities confirmed this morning. The Andalusian government revealed the woman was rushed to hospital on Friday after sustaining burns to roughly 20% of her body. Her death was confirmed on Sunday afternoon, pushing the total death toll from the blazes to 13. The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has issued a travel alert regarding the fires in Los Gallardos, Almería, in Andalucía. It urges those in the area to: - follow instructions from local authorities and emergency services at all times - avoid travelling into or through the affected area - follow updates from the emergency services - for emergencies, call 112 Have you been impacted by the wildfires? Email [email protected] The FCDO notes that anyone concerned about someone in the area can call +34 677 904 624 provided by the Psychological Intervention Group for Emergencies and Disasters. English speaking staff are available. Consular assistance can be found by calling +34 917 146 300 if you're in Spain, and +44 (0)20 7008 5000 if you're in the UK. At least four victims in Andalusia are believed to be British, after four bodies were discovered in a burnt-out vehicle with its steering wheel on the right-hand side. This comes after reports on Sunday that two British hikers were found alive but severely burnt. The man and woman, who remain unnamed, are believed to have suffered burns to 40% of their bodies, according to Spanish national broadcaster RTVE. The pair was located by a Civil Guard team, who revealed they had already swept the area, but had a gut feeling they needed to return. Speaking to RTVE, the Civil Guard officers described finding the two British nationals alive just as darkness was closing in. Sergeant Pedro Barre told the broadcaster: "That experience we accumulate over the years is what tells you: take another look, give it one last try, check again just in case." He explained that the team called out and blew whistles, before eventually detecting a noise they initially thought might be an echo. Fellow rescuer Rafael Zea added that given the severity of the couple's injuries, it must have taken a "Titanic effort" for them to raise their voices loud enough to be heard. Firefighters and emergency services helped rescue the pair after more than two hours trapped. Both individuals are currently reported to be in a serious condition in hospital, though their lives are not thought to be at risk. Spanish authorities believe all the victims were foreign tourists, who are thought to have attempted to escape on foot after apparently abandoning their vehicles and trying to flee through rugged terrain. Antonio Sanz, head of Andalusia's emergency services, previously said that authorities had completed post-mortem examinations and DNA samples were collected to identify them. Spain has been hit by frequent and severe heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures regularly soaring above 40C. In June, Spain endured several days of record-breaking heat, with more than 1,000 excess deaths attributed to the scorching conditions. Dr Thomas Smith, Associate Professor in Environmental Geography, London School of Economics and Political Science, explained why Spain is suffering so intensely from the fires. “The extreme wildfire behaviour we’re seeing in Spain is closely linked to the extreme heatwave weather conditions. Fire behaviour (how quickly a fire spreads and how intensely it burns) is heavily influenced by the weather. Research shows that key measures such as rate of spread and the size of flames increase exponentially as fire weather becomes more severe, meaning that relatively small increases in extreme fire weather can produce disproportionately more dangerous fires," he said. “When weather conditions reach record-breaking levels, we should expect the potential for record-breaking fire behaviour, particularly when strong winds are present to accelerate fire spread and make suppression much more difficult. “Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of the extreme heat and fire weather conditions that create these dangerous environments. While individual fires are influenced by many factors, including ignition sources, vegetation, and land management, climate change is inextricably linked to the record-breaking weather that is driving the conditions for these extreme wildfires.”