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BELGIQUE PERSPECTIVE
DEADLY WILDFIRES RAVAGE ANDALUSIA
DOMINANT ANGLE
Brussels mourns the death of a compatriot in the Almería flames and links the Andalusian drama to the unprecedented excess mortality that Belgium experienced during the same heat wave.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
ANALYSIS
Brussels, July 11, 2026. The toll from the fire ravaging the province of Almería, in Andalusia, is worsening by the hour: twelve dead, twenty-three missing, and approximately six hundred displaced, according to the latest update released by regional authorities on Friday evening. For Belgium, the tragedy took a national turn on Friday with confirmation that a Belgian national is among the victims, alongside a majority of European tourists, particularly British ones, who were caught off guard by the flames in the municipalities of Bédar and Los Gallardos.
The fire, which broke out on Thursday evening and was fueled by 50 km/h winds, trapped several residents in their vehicles as they attempted to flee via an evacuation route cut off by the fire. "We couldn't have imagined a worse scenario. I went door-to-door using the local police megaphone, I even rang the church bells," said Ángel Francisco Collado, the mayor of Bédar. The president of the Andalusian region, Juan Manuel Moreno, described the event as "one of the worst tragedies we've experienced here," mobilizing 144 vehicles and 180 firefighters, reinforced by the Military Emergency Unit. It's been since 1979 or 1984 that Spain has seen such a devastating toll.
This tragedy resonates particularly in Brussels: the heatwave that fueled the Andalusian flames is the same one that hit Belgium between June 18 and July 1, causing, according to Sciensano, the highest excess mortality ever recorded during a heatwave, with 1,747 additional deaths, including a peak of 641 deaths on June 27 alone. Wallonia was the most affected region, with a 76% increase in deaths. Copernicus has also confirmed that June 2026 was the hottest month ever recorded in Western Europe, a context that is also fueling the fires ravaging the south of France. There, a Belgian volunteer firefighter, deployed from Perpignan, is fighting the flames non-stop: "In the past five days, I've slept for eight hours," he said, as 7,000 hectares had already burned on a 41-kilometer front.
KEY POINTS
- Belgium's government is closely monitoring the aftermath of the Almería fire, which has been revised to twelve dead, twenty-three missing, and around six hundred displaced as of Friday evening, according to Andalusian authorities.
- A Belgian national is among the victims, with the majority of the deceased being European tourists, particularly from the UK, who were present in the Almería province.
- The same heatwave has resulted in a record excess mortality of 1,747 deaths in Belgium between June 18 and July 1, according to Sciensano.
COGNITIVE BIASES IDENTIFIED
The Belgian perspective focuses on the Belgian victim: coverage highlights the deceased compatriot rather than the total of twenty-three missing people reported in Spain.
Preference for the domestic climate angle: articles consistently link the Andalusian wildfire to Belgian excess mortality, to the detriment of an analysis of Spanish forest prevention policies.
Limited coverage of the fire's causes: few details are available on the exact origin of the fire in Los Gallardos or the management of Andalusia's wooded areas.
SOURCES (3)
MEDIUM
MEDIUM
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