Horrifying moment wildfire rips through Spain as hundreds evacuated and tributes paid to ‘lovely’ Brit couple killed

THIS is the terrifying moment an inferno rips through Spain, as a British couple are named among those killed in the wildfires. Horrifying footage of the forest fire shows firefighters battling a wall of dancing flames as the Spanish countryside is transformed into a smouldering hellscape. Fires have ripped through Spain killing 13 people so far. Credit: Reuters Credit: Reuters Firefighters face a wall of flames. Pic: Reuters Credit: Reuters The fires have transformed the Spanish landscape into a hellscape. Pic: Reuters Credit: Reuters Two Brits have been named among the dead after the fire hit a popular expat spot. Pic: Reuters Credit: Reuters The footage emerged as Britons Christine and Michael Chard were named among the 13 people killed so far in the fires that have burnt across Spain, forcing hundreds to flee their homes. The couple, who had moved to Bedar in Almeria province, were remembered as “lovely, lovely people” in tributes shared on a local Facebook page. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! “So so sorry and sad to read this, lovely lovely people. I will always think of you Christine when listening to Motown,” one friend said on the page. It comes as another blaze rages north of Madrid, that has forced about 700 residents to evacuate since it erupted on Thursday. Spanish firefighters battle a blaze in the Luesia area. Credit: Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit Credit: AFP A massive wildfire, in Cinco Villas area, near Zaragoza, in Spain. Credit: Spain’s Pegaso unit of the Guardia Civil. Credit: AFP The military fighting a wildfire in La Mierla area, near Guadalajara. Credit: Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit Credit: AFP The fires in the La Mierla area, near Guadalajara, are only 100km north of Madrid. Credit: UME/ AFP via Getty Images. Credit: AFP About 300 firefighters using 26 water-dropping aircraft are working to contain the blaze which has burned 32,000 acres of land in Guadalajara province. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a post on X that his government was closely monitoring the wildfire and thanked firefighters “working tirelessly” to protect lives. “We are closely monitoring the situation regarding the Guadalajara fire, which has already scorched more than 13,000 hectares,” he said. “I extend my full appreciation to those working tirelessly to protect lives and contain the blaze.” Most read in The Sun The fire has been described as “difficult” to combat due to its location by the head of the regional government, Emiliano García-Page. It broke out in a forest-covered mountainous area that includes the Sierra Norte Natural Park, which is home to endangered species including eagles, wolves and butterflies. This summer has been one of Spain‘s most deadly for wildfires in recent years, with blazes also breaking out in other parts of Europe amid high summer temperatures. Among the 13 killed during the recent wildfires are seven Britons, including Ian Jarvis, originally from Kent, and Pete and Fran Gillam, who were all expats living in Bedar. Spain is expected to face another day of scorching weather, with temperatures due to reach 38C in Almeria and as high as 40C in Zaragoza. The city in Spain’s Aragon region in the northwest has also been impacted by fires, with another blaze breaking out on Wednesday forcing people in nearby villages to evacuate. Firefighters, aided by improved weather conditions, had managed to contain the fire’s spread, Aragon’s deputy regional president María del Mar Vaquero said on Spanish public television. The fire has burned about 14,400 hectares, Ms Vaquero said. Comment now