Residents of El Morro, a hamlet near Navas del Rey, returned home nearly a week after being evacuated due to wildfires that consumed tens of thousands of hectares west of Madrid. The scene included burnt-out cars, charred gardens, and the smell of smoldering wood.
Return to Devastation
A handwritten sign on a gate read 'EMPTY. No people or animals here.' The streets held evidence of the fire: two barely identifiable burnt-out cars, blackened garden gnomes, and ash-covered hedges.
Some residents phoned insurance companies, swept debris, or remained in shock. One man led his elderly father out of a gutted house, saying they were 'doing so-so.' A couple in late middle-age found their house survived but their garden and patio furniture were destroyed. The woman said, 'We came back to the village, saw what had happened and the breath just went out of us.'
Survivors Count Their Blessings
Mercedes Merino, 70, who has lived in El Morro for 35 years, pointed to her blackened garden with a flame-twisted cypress, dying loquat, and sooty swimming pool. Her house was spared. 'We've had fires here before, but nothing like this,' she said. 'The firefighters have been amazing. But how do you stop fires like these when you live in mountains covered with pine trees?'
Javier Herraiz, 68, returned from Cáceres to find minimal damage except a warped pipe and lost rainwater tank, which may have helped protect the property. He described the scene as 'Dantesque.' Eva Manso credited a sturdy brick wall and luck for saving her home, though the hillside behind was blackened. 'We've never been through anything like this,' she said.
Ongoing Shock
The sense of bafflement and fear was widespread. Merino added, 'I never cry over life's difficult moments, but I sometimes cry over silly little things like a mosquito being squashed. Maybe I'll find myself crying in a week's time and I won't be able to stop.'
