British pensioner who survived Spanish wildfire fears wife and friends died trying to walk to safety
Malcolm Timbrell's home in Bedar was engulfed by flames on Thursday evening
A pensioner who survived the Spanish wildfires said he fears his wife and friends have died trying to escape.
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Malcolm Timbrell's home in Bedar was engulfed by flames on Thursday evening, as wildfires razed Almeria in southern Spain.
The 70-year-old expat found the hilltop property on the Channel 4 programme A Place in the Sun.
He became separated from his wife Annette Kilgore, 69, and the rest of their group as they attempted to flee by car.
But Mr Timbrell turned back to rescue their two cats and tried to catch up with the rest of the group.
Read more: British couple found alive but badly burned in ravine as deadly wildfires sweep southern Spain
As he caught up, he found they had abandoned the cars and decided to escape the flames on foot.
He said: “My wife and our other seven friends and neighbours – against me screaming at them not to – decided the only safe way was to walk out in front of the firewall.
“I’ve subsequently heard that that firewall was moving at 20 kilometres per hour, plus. They had no chance.”
He survived the inferno by sheltering inside an abandoned car with one of the cats. It's not clear what happened to the second cat.
Mr Timbrell was rescued by emergency services after the flames had passed, but the bodies of eight people were later retrieved from the path.
The pensioner is waiting on DNA results to confirm the identities of the bodies.
“After that, I will probably just fall apart," he said.
A 93-year-old British woman has become the latest British person to die in the fires which have swept through southern Spain.
At least 13 people have now died as a result of the fire near the village of Bedar, in Almeria province, with at least four of those thought to be British.
It comes after four bodies were found in a burnt-out car with its steering wheel on the right, indicating possible British origins.
Over the weekend, a British couple who were hiking in the region were seen to miraculously survive the fires after being found alive but badly burned in a ravine.
The man and woman, who have not been identified, are thought to have suffered 40 per cent burns, according to Spanish national broadcaster RTVE.
Spain has suffered frequent and severe heatwaves in recent years, with temperatures often exceeding 40C.
In June, Spain experienced several days of record-setting heat, with more than 1,000 excess deaths attributed to heat.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “Our thoughts are with all those impacted by the devastating wildfires in Spain.
“We are supporting British nationals affected and their families and remain in close contact with the Spanish authorities.”