A British man whose wife and 12 friends and neighbors are feared dead in the Spanish bushfires has told how he became separated from them as flames moved towards his home.

Malcolm Timbrell, 70, and his wife Annette Kilgore, 69, lived in the town of Bédar, in the province of Almería, which was consumed by flames last Thursday night, leaving 13 dead.

The devastated survivor spoke to the BBC outside his destroyed house high on the hillside.

“You would never imagine this could happen,” he said. “And when it happens, and you’re the only survivor, you’re left in a situation of, ‘What can I do?'”

He and Annette had found their property when they appeared on the Channel 4 show A Place in the Sun.

“She was a very happy, outgoing person,” Malcolm said of his partner of 17 years. “We’ve had an amazing life together, and now that’s over.”

Thursday’s forest fire is among the deadliest in Spanish history. It spread quickly, devastating Bédar and leaving Malcolm, Annette and their friends having to make the quick decision to flee.

When the flames, aided by strong winds, approached their property on Thursday, the couple and their neighbors decided to try to escape by car.