Belgian Man Killed in Almeria Wildfire, Son Says No Warning
A 63-year-old Belgian national has died in the deadliest wildfire in Andalusia’s history, and his son has come forward to say that no official evacuation warning was ever issued before the flames reached their home. The tragedy in the Los Gallardos area of Almería, Spain, has claimed at least 12 lives and sparked a major debate about the effectiveness of Spain’s emergency warning systems.
The Victim and His Son’s Testimony
Stanislas Verdonckt, a 63-year-old Belgian virologist, was living in the mountain village of Bédar when a devastating wildfire swept through the area on July 9. His son, Thomas-Wolf Verdonckt, told VRT NWS that his father received no coordinated warning about the approaching danger.
“There was no warning, they were not aware of the fire and by the time they saw it, it was too late,” Thomas-Wolf said in an interview with Reuters. “Nobody received an official notification, they heard about it through the media or Facebook posts. They received no warnings and there were no instructions to evacuate.”
Thomas-Wolf was on the phone with his father during the evening of July 9, as the fire advanced rapidly toward Bédar. It was their last conversation. The victims, including Verdonckt, were found in a ravine near the village, having attempted to flee on foot after their vehicles became trapped.
“The people who died did not ignore orders, because no orders were given,” Thomas-Wolf emphasized. “No information was provided.”
The Deadliest Wildfire in Andalusia’s History
The fire was declared during the afternoon of July 9 in the Almocáizar area of Los Gallardos. The Guardia Civil is investigating a fallen electrical cable as the possible cause. Fanned by strong winds and temperatures reaching around 40°C during a prolonged heatwave, the fire spread with devastating speed.
Over 1,400 people were evacuated from Bédar, Almocáizar, Alfaix, and surrounding areas. The fire burned approximately 7,000 hectares before being declared stabilized on July 12. According to BBC News Mundo, this is the deadliest wildfire in Andalusia’s history and one of the most lethal in Spain since 2005.
At least 12 people have been confirmed dead, including foreign nationals from Belgium and Britain. At least three children are among the deceased. Four victims were found in a car with right-hand drive, indicating British nationality. Identification is ongoing via DNA testing.
The ES-Alert Controversy
The central controversy revolves around the decision by the Junta de Andalucía not to activate Spain’s ES-Alert mobile phone emergency warning system. The system is capable of sending mass alerts to all mobile phones in a geographic area, but regional authorities chose not to use it.
According to LaSexta, the Andalusian government argued that sending a mass alert would have caused panic and chaos on the single road out of the area, potentially leading to even greater catastrophe. Antonio Sanz, the regional minister for Emergencies, stated that the system “always activates based on technical criteria” and that its use would have caused “irreparable damage and confusion to the population.”
However, critics argue that the system was designed precisely for such emergencies. VRT NWS journalist Stijn Vercruysse, reporting from Almería, confirmed that different residents received different warnings through various channels — WhatsApp groups, door-to-door visits by the mayor, and Guardia Civil patrols — but “nobody received the official SMS.”
“It is clear that something is wrong with the warning system and that it needs to be reviewed, especially in risk areas,” Vercruysse told VRT NWS.
Official Response and Broader Implications
The Andalusian regional government declared three days of official mourning. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez offered all state resources, and the Military Emergency Unit (UME) was deployed with 220 personnel. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares contacted counterparts in Belgium, the UK, Canada, and the Netherlands regarding affected citizens.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot offered condolences and stated that consular services were “fully mobilized.”
The tragedy has raised urgent questions about emergency preparedness during wildfire season. The fire occurred during a prolonged heatwave across southern Europe, with 2025 having been the worst wildfire season on record in the EU, with over 1 million hectares burned. Europe is the fastest-warming continent, at twice the global average rate, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
What’s Next
As the fire is now stabilized and approximately 1,000 evacuated residents have been allowed to return home, attention is turning to accountability. The Guardia Civil continues its investigation into the fallen electrical cable as the possible cause. Questions remain about whether the Junta de Andalucía will face consequences for not activating ES-Alert, and whether this tragedy will lead to policy changes in Spain’s wildfire prevention and emergency alert systems. For the family of Stanislas Verdonckt and the other victims, the pain of loss is compounded by the knowledge that a simple phone alert might have made all the difference.