Families in the Madrid suburbs of Tres Cantos and Soto de Viñuelas have returned to scenes of destruction after a wildfire tore through the area, killing a man and 26 horses. The blaze, which consumed 1,000 hectares of land, destroyed homes and forced the evacuation of 180 people.
Adolfo López, a pharmaceutical researcher visiting from France, described how he saw the fire approaching on Monday evening. He evacuated his family to a local hotel, returning the next day to find his parents' house gutted. 'At least it's just the house,' he said. 'You can rebuild a house.'
The fire, fuelled by a heatwave, dry vegetation and winds of over 70km/h, spread rapidly. Firefighters reportedly said they had never seen such a blaze. The mayor of Tres Cantos, Jesús Moreno García, described the event as 'really shocking'.
A 55-year-old Romanian man died after suffering burns to 98% of his body while trying to rescue horses from a local stables. All 26 horses in the stables perished. Local residents paid tribute to the man, with José Luis Ramírez calling him 'really great' and saying 'he worked so hard'.
Some houses were beyond saving, with roofs collapsed and interiors still smoking. Others had miraculous escapes, with flames stopping at the perimeter. Residents expressed concern about the risk of re-ignition due to forecast hot and windy conditions.
