Town Devastated by Wildfires Wins €468M in Spain's 'El Gordo' Christmas Lottery

A Spanish town still reeling from devastating summer wildfires has received an incredible "injection of hope," winning a major share of the country's massive Christmas lottery, known as 'El Gordo' (The Fat One). Residents in the province of León are celebrating after taking home hundreds of millions of euros just months after tragedy struck.

Most of the first-prize-winning tickets for the number 79432 were sold in La Bañeza, a town of about 11,000 people. The community is sharing a jackpot of €468 million (£409m). A single €20 ticket, or décimo, is worth €400,000. Among the winners were members of the town's local football club.

This incredible turn of fortune comes just four months after forest fires tore through the region, burning 8,000 hectares of land surrounding the town and killing a 35-year-old local man. The community had also been hit by the closure of a local sugar-beet factory this year, which resulted in dozens of job losses.

Another fire-ravaged town, Villablino, also secured a massive €200 million (£175m) share of the jackpot. "We needed some good news," said its mayor, Mario Rivas. He noted that on top of the fires, five local men were killed in mining accidents this year. "It doesn't make up for the loss of the lives of our friends, but this shows us that there can also be good news."

In Villablino, many of the winning tickets were sold by a local Alzheimer's association. One winner, Maribel Martín, found out she'd won €400,000 while she was out grocery shopping. "We were really down and 200 million euros is a wonderful thing," she said. Her plan for the money? "Spread it around a bit and enjoy life."