The City Council considers the aid an "important first step, but not the last" after the fire in Segorbe that burned some 630 hectares.
The Gàtova City Council will receive 200,000 euros to act in the areas affected by the recent forest fire that started in Segorbe and ended up also affecting the Valencian municipality . The fire burned some 630 hectares of mountain, all of which are located within the Serra Calderona Natural Park.
The new financial contribution will allow the recovery of the environment to begin and to deal with the damage caused by the flames. However, the Gàtova council has warned that they consider these resources only the beginning of the necessary process to recover the affected areas.
"This aid represents a first package of economic support to begin working on the recovery of our environment and addressing the damage caused by the fire," the City Council said.
The Council extends aid for forest fires
The incorporation of Gàtova into the aid comes after the Council agreed to extend the urgent measures initially approved on July 31 to alleviate the damage caused by the fire in the Vall d'Uixó.
The package is now extended to the municipalities affected by the subsequent fires in Tírig and Segorbe. Tírig, Catí, Albocàsser, Culla, la Salzadella, Segorbe and Gàtova will be able to benefit from the aid.
According to the data announced by the Council spokesman, Miguel Barrachina, the total maximum amount of aid now amounts to 17,943,710 euros, after increasing by 1,176,700 euros compared to the package initially approved.
Within this expansion, Gàtova will have 200,000 euros specifically allocated to act on the areas affected by the fire.
Municipal aid will be independent of that intended for individuals
Gàtova has noted that the 200,000 euros correspond to the actions that the municipality will have to take. Therefore, this amount will be independent of the aid that individuals, owners of agricultural holdings and houses that have suffered damage as a result of the fire, may receive.
The council has vindicated the efforts made after the emergency to obtain resources for the recovery. "We have insisted and fought so that Gàtova would not fall into oblivion once the flames were extinguished," the City Council stated, which considers that a recovery of this magnitude cannot be undertaken solely with municipal resources.
Gàtova will demand more resources to recover the Serra Calderona
The City Council considers the 200,000 euros an "important first step, but not the last." For this reason, it has announced that it will continue to demand from the different administrations actions, resources and deadlines that allow the recovery of Gàtova and the Serra Calderona to be addressed.
The fire, caused by lightning during a storm on August 20, burned approximately 395 hectares in Segorbe and 235 in Gàtova. The situation forced the evacuation of the town of Gàtova for two days due to the evolution of the flames, smoke and changes in wind.
Now, with the fire already extinguished, a new phase begins focused on the recovery of the 630 hectares affected and the restoration of the natural environment of the Serra Calderona. "We will not stop fighting for our mountains and our land," concludes the Gàtova council.
