A British national has described how he became separated from his wife and twelve friends and neighbours—all feared dead in Spain’s recent wildfires—as the inferno advanced toward their home.
Malcolm Timbrell, 70, and his wife Annette Kilgore, 69, resided in the village of Bédar, located in Almeria province, which was engulfed by fire last Thursday evening, resulting in the deaths of 13 individuals.
The grieving survivor spoke with the BBC outside his hillside residence, now reduced to ruins.
“One could never imagine such a tragedy occurring,” he said. “Yet when it does, and you are the sole survivor, you are left asking yourself, ‘What can I do?’”
The couple had discovered their property after appearing on the Channel 4 programme A Place in the Sun.
“She was such a joyful, sociable person,” Malcolm said of his 17-year partner. “We shared an extraordinary life together—and now it has come to an end.”
The Thursday wildfire ranks among the deadliest in Spanish history. It spread rapidly through Bédar, forcing Malcolm, Annette, and their friends to make an urgent decision to evacuate.
As the wind-driven flames approached their home on Thursday, the couple and their neighbours resolved to attempt escape by vehicle.