The families of those killed in the devastating Almeria wildfire have vowed to ‘uncover the truth’ about the emergency response.
It comes amid growing questions over whether residents received adequate warning before the flames swept through Bedar and claimed the lives of 13 people, most of them Brits and Belgians.
An online appeal launched by relatives today is urging witnesses to come forward and describe exactly what happened, including what they saw and what evacuation instructions they were given.
The campaign has been organised by Thomas-Wolf Verdonckt, whose father, Belgian photographer Stanislas Verdonckt, was among the dead.
‘We are looking for testimonies from anyone who was in the Bedar fire,’ the appeal states. ‘What did you see? What instructions did you receive?’
It adds that the families are seeking answers about the events leading up to one of Andalucia’s deadliest wildfires in recent years.
In comments to the Spanish Eye, expat Emma Monks claimed there was no official evacuation order for her area on the Antas side of Bedar, despite the fire rapidly approaching.
She said the only messages she received through Bedar Town Hall’s WhatsApp group and Facebook page were a 7pm evacuation notice for the hamlets of El Albarico, Serena and Los Pinos on the opposite side of the municipality, followed 28 minutes later by advice for evacuated residents to head to the sports pavilion in Los Gallardos.
Monks said her family decided to flee only after her husband drove to higher ground to assess the situation himself.
‘He radioed back on his walkie-talkie that the flames were racing up the hillside and we needed to leave pronto,’ she said.
The couple then warned the three other occupied homes in their valley before evacuating towards Antas.
While praising local officials and police for doing ‘what was humanly possible’ with limited resources across a vast rural area, Monks questioned why Spain’s ES-Alert emergency mobile warning system was not activated.
‘I’ve had alerts about high winds I don’t feel. Alerts about earthquakes 50km away… but no alert about a fire 3km away and moving fast,’ she said.
The public appeal has quickly prompted dozens of responses from local residents, many of whom have questioned the official account of how the evacuation unfolded.
One resident claimed: ‘We all know the truth, and the truth is not the official version.’
‘The vast majority were never warned. Many were saved by their neighbours, while others only found out through WhatsApp.’
The commenter added that many residents were not members of official WhatsApp or Facebook groups used to share information, arguing that these could never have been relied upon as the primary means of alerting people to the danger.
‘The fire was spreading far too quickly. There wasn’t enough time to warn everyone, and no one should be expected to risk their own life to save others,’ the resident wrote.
‘But blaming the victims and claiming that people were warned door to door is disgraceful.’
They also called for authorities to investigate mobile phone geolocation data to determine whether emergency personnel or other officials actually carried out door-to-door warnings in the Bedar area.
‘It’s the only way to prove or disprove those claims,’ the commenter added.
Responding beneath the post, Verdonckt replied: ‘I am determined to make the truth come to light.’
The appeal has also been backed by other bereaved families.
Danielle Gillam-Kirton, whose parents Pete and Fran Gillam died in the wildfire, wrote: ‘As the daughters of Pete and Fran Gillam, we implore anyone that has information to help us to get answers for our parents.’
The campaign comes as scrutiny continues over the emergency response to the wildfire, which tore through the mountains around Bedar and Los Gallardos earlier this month, killing 13 people and destroying homes and vast areas of countryside.
The allegations made by residents on social media have not been independently verified, and emergency services have previously maintained that extensive evacuation efforts were carried out as crews battled an exceptionally fast-moving fire under extreme weather conditions.
The families say they hope eyewitness testimony will help establish a clearer picture of what happened during the disaster and whether lessons need to be learned to prevent a similar tragedy in the future.
One of the biggest questions is why an ES-Alert message was not sent to mobile phones in the affected areas.
The Junta said that such a tactic may have caused confusion, because different areas were under different evacuation orders.
However, just this week, as ES-Alert warning residents about a wildfire was sent to phones in Huelva province.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
