‘The breath just went out of us’: people return to their homes after wildfires near Madrid
Residents of El Morro near Madrid are returning to their homes to assess the damage following a series of devastating wildfires. The community is struggling to process the loss of property and the environmental destruction caused by the blazes.
Why it matters
This highlights the increasing frequency and impact of wildfires on residential areas, emphasizing the human cost of climate-related disasters.
A man walks past burnt-out cars after the wildfire in Navas del Rey, about 50km (30 miles) west of Madrid. A man walks past burnt-out cars after the wildfire in Navas del Rey, about 50km (30 miles) west of Madrid. Wildfires ‘The breath just went out of us’: people return to their homes after wildfires near Madrid Residents struggle to take in the devastation five days after El Morro was evacuated as fires burned across countryside west of Spanish capital
Sam Jones in Navas del Rey Wed 29 Jul 2026 13.25 EDT Last modified on Wed 29 Jul 2026 15.56 EDT Share Prefer the Guardian on Google The handwritten sign taped to the front gate of a house in the mountains an hour west of Madrid offered as succinct a summary of recent events as you will find.
“EMPTY,” it said. “No people or animals here.”
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