Bédar wildfire families demand inquiry after 15 die in Spain
Relatives of British victims of July's wildfire in Bédar say they are "disgusted" after Andalusian politicians blocked an official inquiry into the disaster.
At a glance
- Fifteen people, including nine Britons, died when wildfire destroyed the village of Bédar in Almería, Spain, on 9 July.
- Andalusia's PP and Vox parties rejected an opposition request for a parliamentary commission of inquiry into the disaster.
- Families say no emergency mobile alert was sent and are raising €100,000 to fund legal action.
Families of British nationals killed in a wildfire that tore through the village of Bédar, in Spain's south-eastern province of Almería, have told the BBC they are "disgusted" after regional politicians blocked an official inquiry into the disaster.
Nine British citizens were among the 15 people who died when fire swept through the hillside village on 9 July. Fourteen of the dead were foreign nationals: nine British, three Belgian, one French and one American. The remaining victim was Spanish. It was the highest death toll from any single fire in Spain this summer, and one of the largest in the country's history.
The governing People's Party (PP) and the far-right Vox in the Andalusian parliament rejected a request for a commission of inquiry by the opposition Socialist party, arguing that an ongoing criminal investigation would provide the necessary answers. The Andalusian government, the PP and Vox have been approached for comment.
'Issue the damned alert'
Families have criticised the authorities' response on the day, including the decision not to send an emergency alert to mobile phones as the flames closed in.
"If that evacuation warning had come through in time, my father would still be alive," said Duncan Chard, whose father Michael and Michael's partner Christine both died.
Andalusia's emergencies chief, Antonio Sanz, has said the region decided not to use the mobile alert system because it could not be tailored to specific communities. Officials have said some residents needed to evacuate while others were safer staying at home, and that an alert could have caused panic and traffic jams.
"Issue the damned alert!" Chard said. "Ring the bells, send the police guy out with his horn, go door to door, do everything."
Thomas-Wolf Verdonckt, a Belgian virologist whose father Stanislas, 63, died, was on the phone to him as the flames approached. He said the victims "never received advice on what they should do, and certainly not warnings that they were in danger".
Danni Gillam-Kirton, an assistant headteacher from Nottinghamshire, lost her parents Pete and Fran. She said her mother texted her at about 19:00 to say they had packed in case they had to leave. "They were waiting for instructions, and those instructions didn't come," she said.
Families criticise handling of remains
Gillam-Kirton said her grief had been made worse by the authorities' behaviour since the fire. Police told her that her father's car had been "meticulously searched", but in August she and her husband found what appeared to be human bones inside the burnt-out vehicle, along with her parents' phones, jewellery, keys and money.
The fragments were sent to Madrid for testing. The family says police have told them no DNA was recovered and that the bones were those of an animal, but Gillam-Kirton says experts, including a forensic anthropologist who worked on the Grenfell Tower investigation, believe they were human.
Criminal investigation
The cause of the blaze, also known as the Los Gallardos fire after the neighbouring town where it started, is the subject of a criminal investigation. In July, the Guardia Civil said it was believed to have been started by a fallen power line, an explanation that has since been called into question.
The BBC has seen a letter, signed by Sanz in September, in which the Andalusian government refused a request from Socialist MPs for its official reports on the fire, saying they could not be released because the criminal case is under secreto de sumario, a court order keeping the file confidential.
Bédar's emergency plan was last approved in 2019 and regional officials say it was in the process of being updated. The municipality is classified by the Andalusian government as being at risk from wildfires.
Families in the UK, Belgium and Spain have set up support groups and a website, helpbedar.com. They are appealing for €100,000 (£83,000) to pay for legal action and have so far raised about €11,000.
"We are getting steamrolled by the Andalusian government," Chard said. "That's why you have a public inquiry, because the public need answers."
Source: BBC World.
Questions and answers
- How many people died in the Bédar wildfire in Spain?
- Fifteen people died, including nine British, three Belgian, one French and one American national. The remaining victim was Spanish.
- Why was no emergency alert sent to mobile phones during the Bédar fire?
- Andalusia's emergencies chief, Antonio Sanz, said the alert system could not be tailored to specific communities. Officials also said an alert could have caused panic and traffic jams.
- Is there an official inquiry into the Bédar wildfire?
- No. The PP and Vox parties in the Andalusian parliament rejected an opposition Socialist party request for a commission of inquiry, arguing a criminal investigation would provide the answers.
