ANGER is mounting among families affected by a deadly Andalucia wildfire after local officials claimed victims failed to follow official evacuation orders.
At least 13 people were killed, including five believed to be British, as they tried to escape the fast-moving blaze, which tore through 70 square kilometres of countryside in Almeria province.
A further 10 people remain missing, authorities said.
Controversy has engulfed the Andalucian government over its decision not to send a phone alert during the crisis, with officials insisting it would have complicated evacuations.
Instead, local mayors and police went door-to-door or phoned residents, either directing them to safe evacuation routes or instructing them to shelter indoors.
But the son of a Belgian man who died in the blaze claimed emergency services gave victims ‘no guidance.’
Belgian virologist Thomas-Wolf Verdonckt told Reuters on Saturday he spoke to his father, 63-year-old businessman Stanislas Verdonckt, shortly before 9pm on Thursday as the fire advanced on the popular expat hotspot of Bedar.
Stanislas Verdonckt was among eight victims of the wind-whipped wildfire found dead in a valley below the Paraje el Curato area, where he lived on the outskirts of Bedar, according to his 33-year-old son.
No officials told the group the fire was heading their way or that it would be safer to stay at home than flee, Thomas-Wolf Verdonckt said.
“The people who died did not fail to follow any orders because no orders were given. No information was provided,” he said.
“They only started to run when the flames were almost upon them. That was their absolute last resort.”
In a statement to Reuters on Sunday night, the government disputed Verdonckt’s account, saying Bedar mayor Angel Collado had urged the group, including Stanislas Verdonckt, to shelter in place.
“We understand the families’ grief and respect the fact that, in times of immense suffering such as these, anger and a sense of helplessness in the face of tragedy can lead to a different perception of what happened,” the statement said.
Brits Emma and Simon Mitchell, who have now been allowed to return to their home in Bedar, also joined the Belgian virologist in accusing Andalucian authorities of ‘victim-blaming.’
Addressing the authorities, Emma told the BBC: “You need to get your act together and please don’t try to victim-blame afterwards.
“These people who died had no instructions to follow. They did the best they could in the circumstances, and they paid the price.”
Authorities have previously said all of the victims, except one identified as Spanish, are believed to be foreign nationals.
Their identities have yet to be confirmed after DNA samples were sent to Madrid for matching with relatives.
Four victims were found inside a burnt-out right-hand-drive car, raising suspicions they may have been Britons.
A 93-year-old woman who died from her injuries on Sunday, taking the death toll to 13, was also believed to be British, officials said.
Among those feared dead are US national Ana Sims and her Spanish husband Pedro Rodriguez, the Olive Press revealed on Monday.
The couple, believed to be in their 70s, are currently listed as missing as friends and relatives continue a desperate search.
But according to multiple sources, officials recovered two charred bodies beside a car believed to belong to the couple, raising fears they are among the dead yet to be identified.
The Almeria wildfire is the deadliest in Andalucia since records began and the third deadliest in Spanish history.
It broke out last Thursday after a downed power line is believed to have sparked the blaze near the town of Los Gallardos.
Fanned by winds of up to 50km/h, the flames spread rapidly across Almeria province before firefighters and soldiers finally brought the fire under control after a three-day battle.
Andalucian authorities said no text alert was sent because advice differed depending on residents’ location in the mountainous, wooded terrain and the rapidly changing conditions.
Click here to read more Almeria News from The Olive Press.
