In early September, the flames ate their way across hills forested in chestnut and cork oak. The inferno would come within a mile of the tiny whitewashed village of Genalguacil, perched on a steep slope high in the dry air of southern Spain. The sky darkened and a hot autumn wind brought the scent of fire to the hamlet’s 600 or so residents as they gathered their livestock, packed their belongings, and evacuated. As a trail of cars, trucks, and motorbikes snaked along the twisting, narrow road to safety, residents…
