Ranger Drivers Can't Help but Help
This year, record temperatures in parts of Spain turned much of the countryside into a tinderbox. Devastating wildfires broke out in early August forcing many to leave their homes and around 382,000 hectares1 of northern Spain has been engulfed by the flames.
Amongst those were some ranchers who had to flee quickly, leaving behind their homes, farm buildings and valuable livestock. Others remained but with the grazing land for their animals destroyed the situation looked hopeless. Ford ambassador Laura Vallejo is one of many in the region helping, using her Ranger PHEV to navigate the fires and tow supplies to those in need:
My family are also farmers, we have cows and other animals. I could only imagine the suffering of those affected, of having no food for their animals. I felt the need to share what we have because of this; it’s what I would have wanted others to do for us if we suffered a tragedy like that ourselves.
In total the area in my community affected is approximately 70,000 hectares. Many of the ranchers’ storage areas, animals and houses have been burned so they needed help.
From the start, we’ve all been involved. My father accompanied me on the food deliveries and our neighbours reached out to schedule food deliveries from different areas. One of the most difficult things has been getting in touch with the most vulnerable, affected people. The telephone lines haven’t been working properly and many of the most vulnerable were older people who are not so familiar with modern communications. Another intermediary had to go directly to the site to check what each neighbour’s needs were.
We've traveled about 200km south of the region, feeding and coordinating several farms and some 400 animals. The Ranger PHEV delivery has managed to sustain two small farms with about 60 animals over the past few weeks, and we're waiting for another shipment in the coming days!
There’s still danger as there are active fires with some secondary roads closed, and communications in some towns are still unestablished. We need to be kept informed of new outbreaks and where the blazes are heading in case a sudden change in the weather traps us.
In places where trucks can’t access due to the narrow roads in one of the most remote areas of Galicia, the Ranger PHEV has made all the difference. It’s got us there quickly and safely and has been efficient for driving many kilometres from my home to the area, towing 50 units of small bales of hay without a problem.
“We need to be kept informed of new outbreaks and where the blazes are heading in case a sudden change in the weather traps us.”Laura Vallejo
The affection and gratitude of the people when you arrive at their homes, when you hear their story and see the true extent of the disaster, and of course seeing the animals eat the food we transported is the greatest motivation. That’s what makes it all worthwhile.
It’s maximum solidarity. We are all a small family and the main thing is to keep the animals in the community in safe and healthy no matter what happens, so however far away they are, daily shipments of food are being made from many farms that have excess food stored.
And I'm still coordinating truckload shipments of large bales of hay and the help will be needed for months. It depends on how quickly the grass regenerates, but we still have a large part of the summer ahead, and we'll have to reseed again. It may be necessary to continue providing feed until next spring. I think the Ranger PHEV is going to be kept busy and hopefully we’ll all pull through this.
1https://www.euronews.com/green/2025/08/21/spains-sees-worst-wildfire-season-since-1994
