The Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, and the spokesperson for the Federal Executive Commission of the PSOE, Montse Mínguez, have agreed this Friday to reproach that the Junta de Andalucía did not activate an "Es Alert" warning to the public due to the wildfire declared on Thursday in Los Gallardos (Almería), in which at least twelve people have lost their lives.
Both socialist leaders have referred to this matter through messages on their profiles on the social network "X". The president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno (PP-A), also spoke on the same issue this Friday during a press conference during his visit to the advanced command post set up in Turre (Almería) for this fire.
When questioned by journalists about the absence of an "Es Alert" message to warn potentially affected residents, the Andalusian president indicated that, according to what the technicians told him when he himself raised the doubt, "sending a single message was generating confusion," since "there were cases where people had to be confined" and others where people "had to leave their homes," following different routes.
Moreno also added that "the 'Es Alert' footprint does not reach all corners, and there are areas affected by this fire that 'do not have coverage'," to which is added that at "three base points" the "telephone connection" failed.
On the other hand, the Minister of the Presidency, Health and Emergencies and newly appointed first vice-president of the Junta, Antonio Sanz, defended in another media appearance that, rather than resorting to sending an "Es Alert," "the work that the mayor" of Los Gallardos "had been doing from the first moment with the support of the Civil Guard and Local Police was much more effective," since "he contacted neighbor by neighbor" after the fire was declared.
That "is the most effective system," the minister stressed, before clarifying that "another thing is whether these instructions are followed" by the population.
Montse Mínguez shared a video on her "X" account with the words of the Minister of Emergencies. "Damn it! Really another ES-ALERT not sent?", wrote the socialist spokesperson upon hearing Antonio Sanz's explanation.
For his part, minister Óscar Puente has responded to the Secretary General of the PP, Miguel Tellado, who this Friday, at the summer courses of the Complutense University of Madrid in San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Madrid), maintained that "Spain needs better public services in all areas, especially to prevent and combat tragedies" like that of the Los Gallardos fire.
"More resources, better means, and all attention focused on serving Spaniards are required," stated the PP leader, who also defended the need for "a central government focused on management" which, "unfortunately," in his opinion, Spain does not currently have.
Following these statements, Óscar Puente asked on "X" if "this piece of scoundrel is blaming the Spanish Government for the Almería fire and its consequences." "When they cut anti-fire personnel, which is their responsibility, and are UNABLE ONCE AGAIN to send the Es Alert message!" exclaimed the minister.
In another message on the same social network, the head of Transport insisted along the same lines by replying to the Deputy Secretary of Institutional Regeneration of the PP, Cuca Gamarra, who, regarding a previous tweet by Puente, had censured that there is "a minister insulting the opposition" while a "terrible fire is occurring that has already left deaths and several missing."
"Scoundrels. The fire and its consequences have nothing to do with my tweet and everything to do with your DISASTROUS MANAGEMENT," Óscar Puente replied to the popular leader from the aforementioned platform.