More than a thousand people from León demonstrate against the fires and demand the resignation of the regional government.
León, Aug 18 (EFE).- Chanting "The fire is ravaging, the regional government is failing" and "Quiñones, back to the stoves," nearly a thousand residents of León gathered this Monday to demand the resignation of the Minister of the Environment of the Regional Government of Castile and León, Juan Carlos Suárez-Quiñones, over his forest management.
But they have also called for the removal of the regional president, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, due to the precariousness of the fire prevention and extinguishing service, as well as the dismissal of the Director General of Natural Heritage and Forestry Policy, José Ángel Arranz.
Participants in this protest, which took place this afternoon in front of León City Hall and joins the citizen mobilizations already held in Ponferrada and Astorga, have urged the declaration of a national emergency to tackle the fires in the regions of El Bierzo, La Cabrera, Laciana, Valdería, Valdeón (within the Picos de Europa National Park), Omaña, and Maragatería, among others.
Level 3 is the highest level of emergency in the Spanish system and would mean that management would be transferred from the regional government to the central government, something the regional government has already denied, both through President Mañueco and, today, through the regional government spokesperson, Carlos Fernández Carriedo, who reiterated this position.
Although Fernández Mañueco has stated that it is not necessary to declare such a level, the organizers have considered that the seriousness of the situation requires the intervention of higher-level agencies to better coordinate the extinguishing efforts.
During the rally, slogans such as "prevention is the solution" and "summer fires go out in winter" were also chanted, clearly alluding to the need to strengthen forestry policies year-round.
The call comes in the midst of an emergency, with fires devastating rural areas , affecting livestock, beekeeping, and forestry operations, and causing the loss of homes and even human lives.
And, as they noted, of the four deaths recorded in Spain due to this wave of fires, three occurred in León.
The organizers expressed their condolences to the affected families and wished a speedy recovery to the many injured.
They have also reported prolonged cuts in prevention services, precarious working conditions for firefighters and forestry teams, and a lack of coordination in the initial stages of the emergency.
A new rally has been called for today in La Bañeza to demand the immediate declaration of a Level 3 emergency and to protest the neglect the citizens' platform claims they are suffering. "Defending our land means defending our roots, our lives, and our future. León will not be extinguished!" they explained.
The fires in Castile and León add to a new natural disaster: Picos de Europa
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