Following the fire damage caused to 590 hectares in the area of Peña Escrita, El Cerval, Rescate, La Albita, Los Escobales and La Bóveda, there is some good news for affected propety owners.

Mayor Juanjo Ruiz Joya has announced that farms of less that 10 hectares will be exempt from paying the costs of putting the fire out; i,e, Pago de la Tasa por la Extinción del Incendio.

Mayor Ruiz Joya explained that this exemption has been made possible owing to the recent updating of Artículo 39 de la Ley del Presupuesto de la Comunidad Autónoma Andaluza. The said modification states that the owners of land of less than 10 hectares will not have to contribute to the cost of putting the fire out.

Even the three farms affected with over 10 hectares can avoid paying the tax if they had conformed to the established requirements within the Plan de Prevención de Incendios Forestales. They will have to complete forms that state that their land was adquately maintained; i,e, no overgrown vegetation on the land nor access tracks.

Editorial comment: this is an interesting point and one well worth keeping in mind if you have land; you have to get out there with a strimmer and cut back all the spring growth of weeds, etc, otherwise, if a fire crosses you land, thanks to excessive combustible material, then you are responsible for the damage caused as the fire moves on. You have effectively provided a bridge for the fire to extend over.

(News: Almunecar/Herradura, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)

Tags: News, Andalucia, Granada, Costa Tropical, Almunecar, Herradura, hill fire, Peña Escrita, Cerval, Rescate, La Albita, Los Escobales, La Bóveda, Fire Prevention, Tax, Hectares