King Felipe VI (58), together with Queen Letizia (53), visited people displaced by the Spanish wildfires at an emergency shelter west of Madrid. The couple met with around 200 people on Sunday in a sports hall in the town of Villamanta who had to leave their homes because of the fires. Those accommodated there are mainly residents from Villa del Prado, Aldea del Fresno, and other surrounding communities, as the Spanish Royal House announced on its Instagram channel.
The royal couple was received by Madrid's Regional President Isabel Díaz Ayuso, as well as Sara Aagesen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, and the Mayor of Villamanta. At the sports center, Felipe and Letizia got an overview of the situation, spoke with the evacuees, and thanked all helpers for their efforts in these "difficult times".
"An invaluable natural heritage"
The fire remains very active and the risk is high. However, positive signs are emerging, the King told journalists afterwards. Some victims had lost much of their property, and "an invaluable natural heritage" had been destroyed.
Felipe explicitly thanked the emergency services and the countries that sent personnel and equipment to Spain: "The coordination is working exemplarily. That is a good message. Together, any risk can be managed", said the monarch according to the magazine "Hola". However, he did not give the all-clear: "We know that fires are burning in other parts of Spain. In Valencia there is a fire that worries me, and there is still a lot of summer ahead of us. We will have to remain very vigilant."
The Queen also spoke out. It was important to listen carefully to the evacuated neighbors and support them in their sadness, anxiety, and uncertainty, she emphasized.
75,000 people brought to safety
The wildfires are currently dominating the King's schedule. On the same day, he also spoke at the headquarters of the Military Emergency Unit UME in Torrejón de Ardoz and led a situation briefing on the fires.
The fires are raging in several regions of Spain: fires are burning in three provinces, more than 45,000 hectares have been destroyed. A total of around 75,000 people have already been brought to safety around the capital and near Valencia.
