The recent fire in Guadix Castle (Alcazaba) has reignited the controversy over its state of conservation… or lack of it.

The castle was declared National Heritage in 1931 and in the year 2000 it came into public ownership in the hands of the City Hall of Guadix. In 2003 an agreement was reached between the City Council and the Junta to do the castle up. However, not a lot of activity has occurred on that front.

It was in 2009 that part of the wall fell down and in 2011 that the good folk of Guadix woke up to find that somebody had covered one of the towers with graffiti, thus highlighting the lack of security there.

The Mayor blames the Junta for not convoking the joint board and the Junta points out that its maintenance remains responsibility of the Town Council… and that it’s not just the castle that has been neglected:

On the day of the fire, the municipal fire service could not get its fire engines out of the station because the main vehicle door is broken and has been for a while. When they did finally manage to get the fire engine out, it was to find that Infoca had fortunately already tackled the blaze.

The fire, which occurred at the beginning of August, was caused when dried vegetation (grass and weeds) within the castle wall caught fire. Although there is certain speculation that the fire was deliberate, ongoing investigation has not reached any conclusion to date.

(News: Guadix, Granada, Andalucia)