Spain wildfire kills 12 as firefighters carry out controlled burns

Hundreds of firefighters backed by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft struggled Saturday to contain one of Spain's deadliest wildfires that killed at least 12 people.

A combination of light winds and high humidity are helping crews but the sheer size of the fire still poses challenges, an official said.

The fire has scorched some 66 square kilometres of forest and farmland, about the size of Manhattan.

Sanz said fire crews carried out controlled burns overnight around the perimeter of the fire, which broke out late Thursday in a semi-arid area near the Sierre de Los Filabres mountains in in Almería province, just as Spain was sizzling.

Most of the victims, who are believed to be foreign nationals, died after ignoring shelter-in-place instructions, authorities said.

Seven people died while on foot after abandoning their cars.

Four of the dead were believed to be British because the steering wheel of their burned-out car was on the right side, as with British vehicles, regional authorities said.

Spain has battled frequent and severe heat waves in recent years, with temperatures often exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.