After the Guájares fire it seems that we are back to politics as usual, no matter that over 5,000 hectares were destroyed.

At first, following the blaze, they worked together to request the category as a Disaster Area, but then came the squabbling and accusations.

The Mayor of Vélez de Benaudalla (PSOE), Francisco Gutiérrez, regrets the course taken by the Mayors of the Los Guájares, Pinos Valle, Albuñuelas and El Valle (all governed by the PP). for “politicising an affair of extreme gravity which affects us all equally.”

He went on to say that each administration should be “consequent” with its responsibilities and not to forget that the administration that has most responsibility over the region’s mountain land is the Junta (PP). Infoca, for example, belongs to the Junta so keeping forestlands clean is clearly the responsibility of the Junta.

Quite another matter, however, is the assignation of Disaster Area, which corresponds to the Central Government (PSOE).

The Mayors of four of the five affected municipalities (all PP) approved in their corresponding Town Councils to request the category of Disaster Area, as did the Mayor of Vélez de Benaudalla, however, the PP mayors went further and criticised the provincial representative of the Central Government, Inmaculada López, for “not having once been in contact with them.”

The socialist Mayor of Vélez de Benaudalla said, “the entity that you have to approach for permission to do anything on mountain land is the Junta,” adding, “if we don’t act now on the burnt areas we won’t be able to solve anything.

He said that if the Central Government did accept the request then he would do everything to make sure that Government deployed all its available resources; i.e., the same as he is requesting that the Junta should do but, according to him, the other Mayors are not doing.

He concluded that it is not fair to demand everything of the Central Government as if the Junta had no responsibility in it.

Editorial comment: it is without doubt that the Junta is solely responsible for not keeping the montes clear of combustible material and somebody should hold them responsible for this lapse. However, only the Central Government has the capacity to release sufficient funds to provide immediate economic aid.

(News: Los Guájares, Valle de Lecrin, Granada, Andalucia – Photo Luis F. Ruiz)