Pego prevention

SUNDAY, August 13 was exactly a year since the start of the tragic fire in the Vall d’Ebo that razed more than 11,300 hectares, a large part of them in the municipal area of Pego. The devastating incident destroyed the countryside and forced more than 1,500 people to leave their homes for a few days due to the proximity of the flames.

Despite the brutality of the events, the fire brought out the best in the population, many of whom helped all the people affected. They

Swapping ideas

THE mayor of Benidorm, Toni Pérez, received a visit on Wednesday, August 9, from the tourism adviser, Kirian Amorós from Benidorm, who is from the Spanish tourist office in Abu Dhabi.

At the meeting, the mayor was interested in the actions undertaken and developed by ‘Turespaña’ in the United Arab Emirates, where it has a permanent office, as well as the work that Amorós performs as ‘Tourism Advisor’.

During the meeting both exchanged perceptions on how the tourist season is working in the city and in other destinations, and on the opportunities that open up in the short and medium term for Benidorm.

The devastating fire.

opened the doors of their homes, local businesses offered everything they could, both to those affected and to the people working to extinguish the fire.

It was also a turning point for brand new guidelines to prevent an event of this magnitude from happening again.

Now the Forest Fire Emergency Plan and the Territorial Emergency Plan have been updated. Firewalls will now be constructed and the town’s fire hydrants will also be reviewed. This work will be carried out by a specialised company.

EL CAMPELLO Town Hall announced on Wednesday, August 9, that it has joined the fourth awareness campaign of ‘Turtles in the Mediterranean’. This is an initiative of the Oceanografic Foundation, Sevilla Aquarium and the Blue Marine Foundation with the aim of informing people about how to act in the event of sighting a sea turtle.

Under the slogan ‘Here we save turtles’, the aim is to inform bathers, visitors and residents of the presence of sea turtles on the coastline. During the summer season, the females come to the beaches to lay their eggs at the points they consider appropriate.

In the event of a sighting, it is essential to call 112 and inform authorities. In the Va­ lencian Community, the team in charge of rescues is the Oceanografic team, who will travel to the area to assess the state of the animal and transfer it, if necessary to its facilities, where it would recover until it returned to the sea.

Marcos Martínez, from the department of the environment, said the town hall is committed to the conservation of species and to inform citizens about the causes that threaten sea turtles, such as pollution, degradation or actions derived from human action.