Four aircraft as well as forest fire fighters and the Valencia City Council arrived to take part in the extinguishing work of the fire reported this Saturday in the Devesa del Saler.Biel Alino (EFE)
Nine fires since the summer and 16 hectares burned in the Devesa del Saler in Valencia, an approximately 800 hectare Mediterranean forest between the L’Albufera Natural Park and the Mediterranean Sea. The last two incidents, practically consecutive, have triggered all alarm conditions. This Monday, three forestry brigades are checking the extent of the last fire, which was declared this weekend and was brought under control on Sunday. The government delegate of the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabé, has asked the city council, in charge of managing the natural space, to convene a local safety committee to coordinate all the administrations involved in order to stop fires suspected of being deliberate were caused. The mayor of Valencia, María José Catalá, of the PP, responds to the opposition’s criticism of her management by saying that there is no kind of negligence: “There is a madman who wants to set fire to this natural area.” Seprona and the criminal police The Guardia Civil are investigating what or who is behind the fires.
Catalá met this Monday at the town hall with the Minister of Justice of the Generalitat, Elisa Núñez, from Vox, following the fires that affect a protected area. At the meeting, a technical coordination meeting was agreed between the equipment involved to intensify work in the area. The government delegate of the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabé, has asked the mayor to convene a local security committee to coordinate all the administrations involved. The municipal opposition parties Compromís and PSPV will present urgent motions in this regard at tomorrow’s plenary session. “The Civil Guard has been working on several lines of investigation for days, so we will let them take their course,” Bernabé said.
The mayor of the capital has complained about the management of the former local government Compromís and PSPV in the forest area: “There was eco-snobbery and a significant lack of prevention and cleaning measures,” emphasized Catalá, highlighting For example, the impending installation of cannons , which are intended to ensure the cooling of this forest area. In any case, the city council is of the opinion that the recent fire is not an isolated incident, “but we are clear that there is a person behind it who is responsible for it.” “I appeal to everyone to be responsible “, he emphasized.
Sergi Campillo was in charge of managing Devesa-Albufera for eight years in the previous local government, and the current Compromís councilor in opposition points out that this weekend’s fire is the worst since 2015. “During the last eight years “For years we have had practically no fires and what is happening this year with recurring fires is very worrying,” Campillo responded to the PP mayor’s criticism.
The mayor announced today the award of a preventative system of ground-mounted cannons to cool the area. The installation work was entrusted to the company Sogeser Facility Services for a total amount of 246,151 euros. Campillo noted that “the water cannons and the sensor system will finally be installed in La Devesa, a contract completed by the Joan Ribó government,” which is still pending award.
Campillo recalled that during the term of his administration, the local forest fire plan was developed for the first time in history, the forest management plan and the Devesa-Albufera maintenance contract were maintained at historic highs. “We don’t take lessons. The preservation of the Devesa de la Albufera forest is an urban concern that has been present in all democratic governments and we hope that it continues.”
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From the ranks of the Socialists, the spokesperson Sandra Gómez denounced that “to date, Catalá has not shown the slightest interest until it has scheduled a meeting with the advisor to clarify the series of fires in El Saler and “that is perpetuating the situation” . “Neighbors are afraid.” And it has demanded real political leadership from Catalá in the area of firefighters, where in just four months up to three city councilors have already died,” he denounces.
The socialist has pointed out Catalá’s “irresponsibility” with her comments on the cleanup of El Saler: “Her own team has sent a press release in which her own government recognizes that 87 cleaning orders have been carried out by August 2023 to prevent fires.” “, with the removal of almost 300 tons of vegetation,” concluded Gómez, who regretted that the Devesa of El Saler is led by a climate denier, alluding to the Vox councilor José Gosálbez, who will subsequently be responsible for managing this portfolio becomes a government pact between PP and Vox.
Pere Pau Carrillo, member of the El Saler neighborhood association, expressed the feeling of “helplessness” of residents in the area as the fire progresses and called on the administration to continue monitoring and strengthen prevention. “We need to raise awareness among the population so that they don’t park next to forest areas or smoke in Devesa. This is, along with the ancient Turia riverbed, one of the two green lungs that Valencia has and that we should not lose. “La Devesa belongs to all Valencians,” Carrillo said.