Firefighters drain villa swimming pools to battle deadly wildfires in Almeria

Firefighters in Almeria turned to siphoning water from swimming pools of nearby luxury villas as they battled one of the deadliest wildfires in Spanish history.

At least 12 have died, with four British nationals thought to be among the victims, after a huge blaze was sparked in near-arid conditions near Almeria province's Sierra de Los Filabres mountains.

Footage posted to social media by Spain’s Emergency Military Unit (UME) shows emergency services siphoning water from a pool to refill a fire appliance as they doused scrubland.

Some 150 firefighters and 220 soldiers from UME were battling the blaze, which had consumed more than 3,200 hectares (7,900 acres) of forest and farmland.