The Valencia City Council will initiate legal action to determine the possible responsibilities in the Saler forest fire, recently declared extinguished. The city's mayor, María José Catalá, has announced that the Local Government Board will agree to undertake these actions this Friday and has once again called for tougher penalties against arsonists.
"We will not stop insisting that we have a problem and that this has not been fortuitous or accidental," said Catalá during a visit to the works to improve the energy efficiency of the Rojas Clemente Market.
The decision comes after the latest fire recorded in the Devesa del Saler, a particularly sensitive natural space located around the Albufera de Valencia.
The Valencia City Council will go to court
As the mayor explained, the Local Government Board will adopt the necessary agreement to initiate legal action against those possibly responsible for the fire.
Catalá ha reclamat a la Justícia una resposta contundent davant els incendis provocats i ha insistit en la necessitat d’estudiar penes més severes per a les persones responsables d’este tipus de conductes.
The mayor also recalled that she had previously proposed the application of precautionary measures such as a control bracelet or a restraining order, proposals that, as she pointed out, were rejected.
"We must take note of what is happening to us and Justice must be much more forceful with arsonists," defended Catalá, who believes that, if it is necessary to modify penalties at a state level, this possibility must be addressed.
Catalá insists that the fire was not accidental
The mayor's statements once again put the focus on the origin of the fires that have affected this natural space . Catalá has noted that, in her opinion, the latest episode does not respond to fortuitous or accidental circumstances.
Now it will be the corresponding investigations that will have to clarify the origin of the fire and, if applicable, determine the existence of responsibilities.
The initiation of legal action by the City Council precisely aims to allow the council to act before the courts in relation to the facts investigated.
A report will analyze the severity of the fire on the forest mass
In parallel with the legal process, the assessment of the environmental consequences of the fire will begin. The Center for Mediterranean Environmental Studies (CEAM) will prepare a report on the severity of the fire and its impact on the forest mass.
The results of this study will be important in determining which actions are appropriate during the recovery phase of the natural space.
Asked about the proposal of the Devesa-Albufera Council to study the introduction of grazing in strategic forest management areas, Catalá pointed out that the measures must be adopted following an order.
Reforestation will depend on damage assessment
Before deciding on possible reforestation actions, the City Council will therefore await the conclusions of the CEAM report. The analysis will allow us to know more precisely how the fire has affected the vegetation and guide the following decisions on recovery.
With the fire now extinguished, attention is now shifting to two main lines: determining the possible responsibilities for the origin of the fire and assessing the environmental damage caused to El Saler.
The Valencia City Council is thus preparing the legal route while demanding a more severe response to intentional fires and awaiting the technical studies that will determine how to approach the recovery of the affected area.
