Briton tells of surviving Spain wildfire in car as wife and friends died trying to walk to safety
A British man is the sole survivor after a devastating wildfire in Bédar, Spain, claimed the lives of his wife and 12 neighbors. The tragedy occurred as the group attempted to flee their homes by car and on foot during a rapidly moving firestorm.
Why it matters
This highlights the increasing danger of extreme weather events and wildfires in Europe, emphasizing the human cost of climate-driven disasters.
Image source, Malcolm Timbrell By Nick Beake Europe Correspondent in Bédar, south-eastern Spain Published 13 minutes ago A British man whose wife and 12 friends and neighbours are feared to have been killed in the Spanish wildfires has told how he became separated from them as the flames raced towards his home.
Malcolm Timbrell, 70, and his wife Annette Kilgore, 69, lived in the village of Bédar, in Almeria province, which was consumed by flames last Thursday evening, leaving 13 people dead.
The devastated survivor spoke to the BBC outside his destroyed home high on the hillside.
"You'd never imagine it could happen," he said. "And when it does, and you're the only survivor, then you're left in a situation of, 'What can I do?'"
He and Annette had found their property when they appeared on the Channel 4 programme A Place in the Sun.
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