The Alavesa Council will not send firefighters to Madrid because of the fire risk in its territory

Security Counselor Bingen Zupiria reported on Tuesday that the Spanish Government has requested new material and human resources to put out fires in different parts of Spain. The municipalitiesof Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Donostia-San Sebastián have decided to send  personnel and material resources, while the Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa will provide material resources.

Zupiria recalled that Bizkaia has sent a team of firefighters and forest specialists from Basalan since the beginning of the emergency, within the framework of permanent coordination between the Spanish Government and the Autonomous Communities.

Inthe case of Araba, the Council has decided to keep its staff in the territory because of the high temperatures expected and the high risk of fire. For the same reason, the extinction helicopter shared by the three Membersof Parliament will remain in the Basque Country"in order to be able to start work if necessary", the counsellor said.

Ramiro González, the General Member of Álava, has spoken along the same lines and explained that the Member of the European Parliament will send these officers' when circumstances permit '.

He adds that, in addition to the fires in Heredia and Galarreta, fires have also been declared in recent days in Labastida, Armiñón, Campezo and Alegría-Dulantzi, all of which have been extinguished by firefighters.

Preventive work

González has acknowledged that climate change and rural depopulation, among others, make it difficult to manage this type of emergency, although he has pointed out that the preventive model in Álava is different from that in other territories, since "most of the mountains are publicly owned by the councils and, in collaboration with the Council, are responsible for their maintenance", he explained.

He has therefore praised the work done by the company TRAGSA in cleaning the mountains from September to May and putting out fires during the summer, so the Council has extended its contract with the company for one year so that it can continue its work.