Firefighters consider the Vall d’Ebo fire extinguished
Now begins the recovery tasks and the administrations seeking to provide aid to those affected municipalities as soon as possible.
Monday 29th August 2022 · Mike Smith
Source: Carlos López (XAD)
In the evening of Saturday 27th August, the Provincial Firefighters Consortium declared that the Vall d’Ebo fire, which has devastated more than 12,000 hectares, as extinguished.
It has taken firefighting units two weeks to deal the fire that was started by a lightning strike on the slopes above Vall d’Ebo and spread quickly across an enormous area in the Marina Alta and Comtat.
The declaration that the fire has now been extinguished is the final phase of the classification of firefighting status. On Friday 19th August it was declared ‘stabilised’ and on Sunday it was said to be ‘controlled’.
Now starts the worst part of the situation which is to begin the recovery tasks and that the administrations provide aid to those affected municipalities as soon as possible. On Tuesday 30th August, the president of the Alicante Provincial Council, Carlos Mazón, will be meeting with the mayors of those municipalities in the Vall d’Ebo to speak about support measures and to inform them of the planned actions that will be carried out to minimize the economic impact of the fire.
Last week, the Provincial Council announced that, through the SUMA Tax Management Agency, there will be extraordinary advances to the municipalities as well as deferrals for instalment payments and extensions to the voluntary payment periods. Included in these measures will be La Vall d’Ebo, Planes, Balones, L’Atzúbia, Benimassot, Castell de Castells, Fageca, Famorca, Pego, Tollos, La Vall d’Alcalà, La Vall de Laguar and Vall de Gallinera.
The first line of action will see SUMA increasing the advance payment of the foreseeable collection in the second voluntary payment period for 2022 (IBI and IAE) and will offer the affected local councils the possibility of another extraordinary advance of 85% of the estimated collection for the first voluntary payment period for 2023 (IVTM and rates).
In addition, SUMA will grant extraordinary deferrals / splits through which citizens will be able to benefit from up to 23 monthly instalments to meet their tax obligations, both in the voluntary and executive payment period as well as offering an extension of one month in the voluntary payment period.
