Spain wildfire evacuees describe fleeing with medicine, documents and pets left behind

Villagers evacuated from wildfires in central Spain said they had only minutes to flee, leaving with documents, medicine, clothes or family keepsakes while some pets were left behind.

The fires have burned tens of thousands of hectares. Ecology Minister Sara Aagesen said Sunday that one fire near Madrid was the biggest in Spain’s recent history.

Olga Congacha, from Robledo de Chavela, told AFP she and her husband left with important documents and clothes. Police later allowed her to return briefly to collect medicine she needed before an operation, and she found her house covered in ash.

At an improvised evacuation centre north of Madrid, 84-year-old Roberto Velasco said he left Navalagamella with a small suitcase and a hard drive containing copies of family letters and keepsakes from Chile.

In Villamanta, Jose Luis, 81, said he and his wife fled Aldea del Fresno after an evacuation alert and returned later for half an hour to collect medicine. His wife used the return to leave extra food for their canary.

Another evacuee, identified as Rosa, said she resisted leaving Robledo de Chavela because of two rescue cats that could not easily be picked up. She said police eventually forced her to leave as flames reached the village.

Evacuees at Villamanta said they were being cared for but had arrived with little. Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited evacuees from Aldea del Fresno there on Sunday.