1000 evacuated during killer Spanish wildfire

A severe wildfire broke out Thursday near the Sierra de Los Filabres mountains

in Almeria province, killing at least 12, with 12 missing.

Witness said the fire is suspected to have been caused by a loose

cable that fell into dry brush. With strong afternoon winds exacerbating

its spread, the blaze engulfed farmhouses, vacation homes, and vehicles.

Victims died when trying to escape,

ignoring shelter-in-place instructions, many of whom are

believed to be expats.

The Spanish Meteorological Agency said Barcelona recorded a high of

40.5 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, setting a record high for the 112 years,

with some areas even recording temperatures exceeding 44 degrees Celsius.

This wildfire is the deadliest in Spain since 2005.

About 150 firefighters and

220 soldiers from Spain's military emergency unit were battling the blaze on Friday,

pumping water from swimming pools.

The area was full of charred land and homes surrounded by smoke. About 1,000

residents were evacuated and surrounding roads were shut down.

A British expats has spoken of panic as he were told to evacuate.

He described the experience as "devastating" and "terrifying", saying

they just escaped the fire last night and now had to go back on the

rural roads.