Displaced from wildfires in Spain share their stories of uncertainty and narrow escapes

Elvira Menéndez, a 79-year-old retiree in Spain, is grateful her house remains standing amidst the devastating wildfires that have ravaged numerous areas. However, her concern lies with a young family down her son's street who have lost everything – their home and three children – to the raging inferno. The wildfires that have swept through central Spain have destroyed tens of thousands of hectares and forced around 90,000 people to evacuate their homes.

In southwest France, the fires have displaced over 250,000 individuals, primarily residents of the Bordeaux wine region. For survivors like Menéndez, the immediate concern revolves around returning home or to what's left of it. She will spend her third night on Sunday at a makeshift shelter in Villaviciosa de Odón, a 40-minute drive from her home, which she had to leave as the blaze neared.

On Friday, two major fires near Madrid merged into a single, swiftly spreading blaze, which later combined with another already burning in Ávila, north of the capital. This prompted the government to declare a national fire emergency for the first time. The flames have now spread to Toledo, a province southwest of Madrid, and have consumed 77,000 hectares in the central part of the country alone.

Rocío Domínguez, who fled her home with only the clothes on her back, echoes Menéndez's worry. "All the clothes, all the memories, everything, everything, everything," were left behind in the destruction.