Barbecue fire kills 11 firemen in forest blaze

SPANISH rescue teams yesterday recovered the bodies of 11 firefighters who died trying to douse a forest blaze in central Spain – the deadliest in five years — believed to have been sparked by a barbecue.

The firemen were caught in the middle of the fire on Sunday when a change of wind altered the direction of the flames, which started on Saturday afternoon in a nature reserve in the central province of Guadalajara, east of Madrid.

Police said a barbecue that had not been fully extinguished sparked the fire.