Ordered to flee their homes as wildfires raged nearby, Spanish villagers often had only minutes to seize what they could: most pets were banned, and some had no chance to grab their medicine. Olga Congacha, 50, recounted her frantic escape from Robledo de Chavela, leaving with essential documents and clothes. Officers allowed her a brief return to retrieve needed medicine ahead of an operation. The wildfires, described by Ecology Minister Sara Aagesen as the biggest in recent history, have devastated tens of thousands of hectares of land near Madrid.
Roberto Velasco, 84, brought a small suitcase and a hard disc containing copies of old family letters and keepsakes from his family in Chile. "I didn't know what to bring. I thought the whole house was going to burn," he said at an improvised evacuation centre in a sports hall north of Madrid. Initially considering music and books, he ultimately chose the hard drive and some clothes, leaving behind even a towel.
At another refuge in Villamanta, west of Madrid, Jose Luis, 81, monitored his home via smart cameras installed around his house. He and his wife fled in minutes upon receiving the evacuation alert, leaving their village Aldea del Fresno with virtually nothing. Police later allowed them a brief return to retrieve their medicine, during which his wife left extra food for their canary, Pavarotti.
Rosa, 56, refused to leave behind her two rescue cats in Robledo de Chavela. "They are feral -- you can't pick them up without a net," she said. Despite calling animal protection services, she was forced to evacuate without them. "The cats are alright -- they are in the house and have things to eat. I left it all for them. The only thing is that the floor will be dirty."
Margarita, 70, and her daughter Helena, 45, were among those visited by Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia at the evacuation centre in Villamanta. "The queen came to say hello to us -- and I was wearing this dirty thing," Margarita said, pointing to her stained T-shirt, which she had been wearing for four days. Helena explained, "We came with just the clothes on our backs. We thought we would be going home the next day."
