The government and the People's Party enter a war of figures without the fires easing.

The devastating wave of wildfires ravaging tens of thousands of hectares is having an equally intense repercussion on the political scene, where the dispute between the government and the opposition continues to escalate with each passing day.

As a firewall to avoid the debate on responsibilities—raised the day before by the PSOE, pointing out that fire prevention and extinguishing are regional powers and that, in the case of the most devastating fires in Castile and León, Galicia, and Andalusia, they fall under the purview of PP executives—the PP tried to open an alternative debate. In this case, about the alleged reduction in aerial firefighting resources, which Alberto Núñez Feijóo's party directly links to the government's "parliamentary weakness" and the extension of the general state budget.

It was outside the headquarters on Génova Street that the PP's Deputy Secretary for Social Policy, Carmen Fúnez, denounced the fact that Spain will have 42 aircraft for extinguishing forest fires in 2025, five fewer than in previous campaigns.

The Executive maintains that it has a total of 56 aircraft and not 42 as the PP had criticized.

"Pedro Sánchez has gone three years without a budget; the 2023 accounts cannot meet the needs of 2025," he stated, accusing the government of taking "a week" to request aid from the European Union. In his opinion, this delay left "half of Spain" burning before reinforcements arrived. Specifically, they are two Canadair tanker planes arriving from France.

The government's response was immediate and forceful. Sources from the ministry headed by Sara Aagesen accused the People's Party (PP) of spreading "false information." According to official data, the state operation actually has 56 aircraft: the 42 initially contracted and reported by the PP, plus four coordination aircraft and another ten state-owned amphibious aircraft. "These strategically located resources can intervene anywhere in the country, as has been demonstrated these days," the ministry stated. "And their activation is carried out at the request of the autonomous communities depending on the severity of the fire," they emphasized. The Prime Minister assured on his social media that all government resources are working on the crisis.

The Government assures that the funding for forest firefighting in 2025 has increased by 29%, reaching €109.3 million, compared to €84.4 million the previous year.

The PSOE's organizational secretary accuses the PP of acting "late and wrong, with cuts" during crises.

Despite this information, the Popular Party (PP) maintains its request for Aagesen to appear urgently before the Permanent Commission of Congress so that, according to Génova, he can explain "what resources are missing" and "what has been reduced" due to the lack of new budgets.

For the PSOE, the PP's strategy in this fire crisis follows the "pattern" of the PP's regional governments in dealing with disasters: "late, poorly, and with cuts," according to PSOE organizational secretary Rebeca Torró.

"We are deeply concerned about the pattern followed by the regional governments of the Popular Party (PP) in disaster management because they are never there when they are most needed," he stated. "In the midst of an emergency, their top officials, such as the regional presidents or the presidents, are either in El Ventorro, sunbathing on the beach, or in Miami, or in an unknown location."

Ayuso visits Tres Cantos upon her return from Miami and calls for institutional unity for recovery.

Just yesterday, the president of the Community of Madrid returned from Florida. Isabel Díaz Ayuso toured the areas affected by the Tres Cantos fire, the worst blaze Madrid has suffered during this crisis, where she called for institutional unity for recovery.

The Madrid leader avoided entering, at least for the moment, into political confrontation and sidetracked criticism for a vacation she did not interrupt despite the fact that the flames caused the death of one person and the evacuation of hundreds of residents of Tres Cantos. Ayuso, in fact, focused on announcing regional aid for livestock farms while hoping that the central government "will also collaborate" in the restoration of the most damaged areas.