World
Chapinería evacuated due to forest fire: a couple among the last to leave the village
On July 24, 2026, authorities in Spain's Community of Madrid ordered the evacuation of Chapinería, a village of 2,750 residents, due to a nearby forest fire, issuing an alert on residents' mobile phones. Mohamed Chara, a 63-year-old Moroccan chef who has lived in Spain for 35 years, and his wife Asia Bakuri were among the last inhabitants to leave, stopped by the Guardia Civil. The fire was burning near Navas del Rey. The couple had to leave behind their cat Mili, unable to be found, with her bowls filled with food and water by the door.