A Brit’s home in Spain was partially destroyed by a wildfire because the town where he lives has no firefighter service – meaning it took 90 minutes for help to arrive.
Rodney Mays, 78, is demanding action after the blaze gutted the balcony of his €300,000 apartment in Orihuela Costa on May 11 – causing at least €25,000 worth of damage.
The lack of firefighters is one of many issues plaguing Orihuela Costa, an otherwise idyllic spot on the Costa Blanca that is loved by Brits for its white sand beaches and friendly expat community.
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These include a surge in petty crime, poor sewage maintenance and subpar rubbish collection.
Brits are so fed-up of ‘being ignored’ by local politicians that they held a 500-strong protest on Monday to demand the regional government intervene.
Rodney told the Spanish Eye how he was in the pub on May 11 when he received a call from his wife that a fire had started in the field below their two-bedroom, two-bathroom home – which sits on the Las Ramblas golf course.
The flames quickly spread due to a brisk wind and before long it was blowing sparks onto the facade of their property.
Several neighbours phoned the emergency services, and while police arrived relatively quickly to evacuate, the firefighters took much longer.
Rodney said: ‘It took at least one hour for the fire brigade to turn up, because the nearest station is in Torrevieja, another city.
‘Then, because they didn’t know this area very well, they went all the way to the other side of the field, where there had been a fire last summer.
‘By the time they got to us it had been about 90 minutes, and then we were told that some of their fire hoses were too short.’
Rodney said a helicopter and plane were roped into the battle which ‘made all the difference.’
However, the delays caused the fire to spread to their balcony, destroying its exterior, flooring, furniture, awning, glass doors, barbecue grill, satellite dish and more.
Rodney said his insurance will barely cover a quarter of the costs, although the claims process is ongoing.
Meanwhile, himself and 650 other homeowners have come together to demand the city council take action to avoid a repeat.
‘We hired an agricultural expert who said the field of trees is protected land and that there should be at least a 30-metre gap between the land and construction.
‘There was already a fire last June which just avoided us, and nothing was done after that.’
Rodney said the owners have presented a fire plan to the city council in the hopes they will cut back the trees and vegetation to lower the risk of future infernos.
‘We bought the flat because we knew the land was protected and that they wouldn’t be able to build right next to us and block our view,’ he added.
‘We never imagined a fire would be able to take hold and reach our property.’
It’s just one of many issues affecting the Orihuela Costa area, where a lack of police and resources has allegedly reached critical levels.
Expats are so fed-up that they held a protest on Monday to demand the regional government take over control of the local council.
Rodney said: ‘It’s a big, big problem, we’ve been complaining about these things ever since we’ve been living here.
‘The rubbish bins have been broken for five years, and the collection is poor, there are bins overflowing.’
Organising the protest is fellow Brit Priscilla Cromie, 52, who has become a leading voice for the expat community.
The Belfast native is one of the founders of the newest political party on the scene, named PIOC (Partido Independencia Orihuela Costa).
They are planning to take over the local council at the next local elections and are making sure every expat is registered to vote.
Orihuela Costa is governed by Orihuela City Council, which also governs Orihuela City, the capital of the municipality situated some 32km inland.
The latter is where the Spanish councillors live and is therefore prioritised when it comes to funding for vital services and resources, expats claim.
Priscilla told the Spanish Eye: ‘When I first moved here decades ago it was a village, but now it’s a proper town and none of the services or resources have been upgraded to keep up with demand.
‘There’s no police stations after 2pm, so you have to go and make a report far away in another town. There’s no 24hr ambulances and no firefighters.
‘We don’t even have a library, there’s no help here at all and there’s practically no social services – they have one office but nothing gets done. I applied for my son’s disability badge 24 years ago and I’ve still not received it.’
Adding salt to the wound is the ‘extreme’ differences in services between Orihuela Costa, where most of the British expats live, and Orihuela City, where the Spanish councillors live.
Priscilla explained: ‘They’re spending €30m on a new museum in the city centre, and they have automated rubbish bins that open with the wave of a hand – meanwhile our bins are broken and don’t open while rubbish has been piling up in the street.’
The Spanish Eye has contacted Orihuela City Council for comment.
Read more Spain news at the Spanish Eye.
