Ciudad Real provincial council criticised for not dispatching fire brigade to Guadalajara blaze

The Diputación de Ciudad Real faced sharp criticism from the regional PSOE after President Miguel Ángel Valverde decided not to send firefighters of the Servicio Contra Incendios y Salvamento (SCIS) to the fire that broke out in La Mierla, Guadalajara. PSOE spokesperson José Manuel Bolaños called the decision “political”, accused Valverde of hiding behind technical justifications and demanded the technical report that allegedly underpinned the choice be made public. He said the move damaged the council’s image and warned that, if this is Valverde’s style of leadership, the PSOE deputies could leave the institution.

Valverde defended the action as a technical necessity, stating that only 84 firefighters were available and that sending resources to another province would have jeopardised safety in Ciudad Real. He noted that the decision was taken by the fire‑service consortium and operational managers, not by him personally, and pointed to staffing figures – a daily operational crew of 32‑35, a total of about 250 personnel, with roughly 175‑180 dedicated to fire‑extinguishing – as evidence of limited capacity. He also cited recent recruitment drives in 2018, 2023 and the current term that added over a hundred new firefighters.

Both sides referenced previous hires and the need for inter‑administrative solidarity in emergencies, while the dispute reignited in the council’s plenary session, highlighting tensions over emergency‑response policy within Castilla‑La Mancha.