Family Escapes Spanish Wildfire, Friends Perish

Sun Sep 06 2026 13:30:38 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A British family recounts their terrifying escape from a deadly Spanish wildfire, while mourning close friends who lost their lives during the chaos in Bedar.

A British couple, Lucinda Curtois and Riyaz Cheytan, and their teenage children escaped a terrifying blaze in the Spanish village of Bedar, but soon learned that several of their nearby friends had fallen victim to the wildfire. Spanish authorities report twelve fatalities in the region, among them four Britons, and 23 individuals remain missing. The family describes how they were caught off‑guard by the sudden rush of flames and the sudden cut‑off of rural roads, forcing them to flee on foot. While the families survived, the tragic loss of their friends has left them mourning and disoriented amid the ongoing fire relief effort. The incident underscores the rapid, deadly nature of wildfires in Spain’s rural landscape, prompting urgent evacuation and search operations.

Family Escapes Spanish Wildfire, Friends Perish

A British family on holiday in the Spanish village of Bedar described a terrifying escape from one of the country’s deadliest wildfires.

Lucinda Curtois, who arrived in Spain with her partner Riyaz Cheytan and their teenage children on Thursday, said they were “not expecting to hit a wall of fire.” Their fun holiday turned into a frantic bid for safety as flames rushed toward their camping site.

Spanish authorities report twelve people were killed in the village – including four Britons – while another twenty‑three remain missing. The family discovered that several close friends had lost their lives, violence that has left them grieving despite their own escape.

“They left their home on foot, I don’t know why,” Lucinda told reporters. “I can only presume it was probably because their road was cut off because they live out in the countryside.” The family’s account of the events underscores how wildfire can advance so quickly that even familiar routes can become impossible.

Real‑time updates from the BBC’s Spain Wildfire tracker show ongoing rescue operations as authorities search for the missing and support survivors. The tragedy also highlights the toll that rising temperatures and dry vegetation can take on rural communities.