No official help after Pego fire

PEGO continues to seek assistance in regenerating the area destroyed by forest fire in May. The fire was caused by a local farmer who lost control of a bonfire of weeds and vegetation on an extremely hot day with high winds. Approximately 1,715 hectares of land were lost to the blaze in Pego and the Vall d’Ebo area.

The town hall is dissatisfied with the lack of response from the public administrations at local, regional, national and European level. To date only two replies have been received and both were negative, the municipality revealed.

One came from the central government’s sub-delegation in Alicante Province which turned down a request for help for 55 residents affected by the fire. The second came from the regional government’s Environment department informing the town hall that at present it has nothing to offer.

Municipal sources criticised the regional government’s late reply, as the request was put through the day after the fire.

More than three months later, the town hall urgently needs official answers to the questions being asked by other political parties on the council, the same sources said.