Relatives criticise Andalusia for blocking wildfire deaths inquiry
Relatives of Britons killed in the Bedar wildfire in southeast Spain say they are disgusted that the Andalusian government has blocked an official inquiry into the deaths.
How it was covered
- BBC One was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on Bereaved families' anger at blocked inquiry and police handling of remains.
- Channel 5, BBC News, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
BBC News reported that relatives of Britons killed in this summer's wildfires in Spain had criticised regional politicians for blocking an official inquiry into the disaster. The report centred on Bedar in southeast Spain, where the most deadly wildfire in Europe this year killed 15 people, including nine Britons. Half of the villagers who lived there were Britons who had made their home in Spain.
According to BBC News, Pete and Fran Gillam, originally from Nottinghamshire, were among those killed as they tried to escape the flames. Their daughter Danny said her grief had been compounded by the actions of the Spanish police. She said officers allowed her to check her parents' burnt-out car but warned her she would not find anything. She found jewellery, house keys and coins, and then what she recognised as part of a pelvis or hip joint. She later found what appeared to be a piece of rib.
The Spanish police have said the bones were animal remains. Experts who worked on the Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017 told Danny they believe they are human, BBC News reported. Danny criticised what she described as a lack of empathy. 'No one seems to be willing to say do you know what we made a mistake and for that we're sorry,' she said.
BBC News reported that no emergency text message was sent to phones in Bedar as the flames were closing in, and that 15 people, including nine Britons, were later killed. Michael Chard and his partner Christine were among those killed. A relative said that if the evacuation warning had come through in time, 'My father would still be alive'. Another said: 'Do everything that you possibly can. You know, issue the damned alert. Do everything. But they didn't.'
The Andalusian regional government has now blocked an official open inquiry into the disaster, BBC News reported. Families were described as outraged, with one saying it was 'just outrageous' and 'an injustice'. Spanish officials insist the current behind closed doors investigation will give answers. The bereaved families are trying to raise money for legal fees so they can be included in that investigation.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| No emergency text alert was sent to phones in Bedar before the wildfire, which killed 15 people including nine Britons. | |
| Spanish police said bones found by Danny were animal remains, while Grenfell fire experts said they believed they were human. | |
| The Andalusian regional government blocked an official open inquiry into the wildfire disaster. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The BBC One West bulletin led on the bereaved families' anger, giving extended time to Danny's account of searching her parents' car and to criticism of the police and the blocked inquiry. It balanced this with the Spanish officials' position that a closed investigation will provide answers. The tone was empathetic and indignant on the families' behalf.
- “It's just outrageous. It's an injustice”
- “No emergency text message was sent to phones in bedar as the flames were closing in”
- “The spanish police have said these were animal bones But experts who worked on the Grenfell Tower fire in london in 2017 have told danny they believe they are human”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.