“They, the animals, are suffering more than us,” villager Mario Jimenez said on Monday. He was guiding his horses to safety to protect them from the wildfires in Spain.
“They are very frightened due to the smoke, and they are also disoriented. We are trying to save the ones we can,” Jimenez told news agency Reuters.
The forest fire in Navalacruz, in the province of Avila, a rural area, began on Saturday. It started when a car burst into flames on a highway.
Regional environment chief Juan Carlos Suarez-Quinones said strong winds, high temperatures, and low humidity created conditions for the fire to spread.
‘Everything has been burnt’
The fire has destroyed at least 12,000 hectares (29,652 acres) of land since Saturday. It is the country’s biggest wildfire of the year.
“This is a worldwide catastrophe. Nearly everything has been burnt. Everything is finished for the cattle breeders and for everyone. It is catastrophic,” villager Juan Manuel Generoso said while crying.
Locals tried to evacuate their animals before the fire arrived to their lands. Meanwhile, firefighting helicopters dumped water to put out the fires.
“We are going to get the cows so that they don’t get burnt. We will keep them safe and locked here. If the fire comes down, we can look after them,” villager Jesus Zafarro said.
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