Filenews 31 July 2025 - by Ioanna Mantziapa
Several communities in the Limassol district – and not only – are now proceeding with a series of actions in the wake of the deadly fire that swept more than 120 square kilometers of land, destroying hundreds of homes, premises, crops and animals, while Cyprus mourns two human beings who lost their lives in their attempt to escape the flames.
Several communities have taken initiatives. The community of Doros, for example, announced the creation of an "Emergency" channel in a mobile application, for immediate information to residents in cases of fires, natural disasters, earthquakes and floods. Accordingly, the community of Evrychos proceeded to an extraordinary gathering, following the call of the community council, in which representatives of the Fire Brigade, the Forestry Department and groups of volunteers participated. The topic of the meeting was the management of fire risk and the protection of their areas.
In the community of Kato Mylos, residents and expatriates were invited with an announcement to clean their plots, fields, abandoned houses and orchards by August 23.
Such actions, however, should have preceded the deadly fire and before the summer season.
"F" addressed the president of the Limassol Union of Communities, Lefteris Pericles, asking him to comment on whether the EU authorities are responsible for the preparedness and delayed actions. "What I want to say honestly and civilly is that all of this – teams in applications, cleaning in common areas, cleaning of fields – should have been done."
He notes that such initiatives, even if they start after a tragic event, are positive. "Creating groups in apps like Viber, it's good, it's not bad. And yes, if some communities did that now, after the fire, they did very well. It can help. Maybe not. But it's a start."
"Cleanliness is a daily responsibility"
Mr. Pericles also referred to the responsibility of the residents. "Cleanliness is not a matter of a moment. It is a daily duty of the community council and especially of the community leader. But, excuse me, it is not the community leader who throws the garbage, it is the residents themselves. Without blaming the residents, we may not give them the way out for where to get the useless materials they have. But the community leader can't be a police officer or a farm guard with a car."
He also stressed the difficulties, mentioning that "it is not easy to control every passer-by who throws materials wherever they are. How many times did a community leader not sleep, running in the car to see who was fly tipping, where and why. I'm not saying that our fellow community leaders shouldn't care, but we need to see the limits."
Issues of austerity and state support
To the question of whether the EU authorities show flexibility instead of determination, the president of the Limassol Union of Communities answered in the affirmative, saying that we should be stricter.
"Let someone come and show me how to practically clean 10,000 square meters of land with mountains and hills, and not a square in the city. In many places, a chain-bearer, which is located on the periphery of the communities, does not reach. We are not saying that we do not have responsibilities". He stressed that they should be stricter on the issue of cleanliness and prevention. There and wherever we can do the cleaning and anyone who cannot respond, pays. And if he does not accept it, let him go to court," he stressed.
He underlined that they do not bypass the omissions that belong to them and that they are not infallible. "The Department of Forestry has its own way of thinking. So does the state. That is, if a community leader brings a tractor and makes a fire zone and a citizen has property there, the next day he will go to jail. But when the village burns down, they will come and say why he didn't do it. Let them decide what they want from the community leaders. The residents, many times, do not take responsibility and we are always in confrontation, in the sense that they do not apply what the state should do the same, again, in confrontation with the people."
He referred to an example from the community of Sanida, noting that one day before the fire, the head of the village sent him a letter to make fire protection zones. "It started, but did not proceed because, according to the Department of Forests, the plot was state-owned and there was no need for a fire protection zone there. After the experts decided, what is the community leader's fault?"
Equipment Need
Lefteris Pericles also referred to the need for better equipment, mentioning that most communities have purchased a small fire truck – single cab or double cab cab – with a capacity of about 800-900 liters. "This fleet needs to be renewed. The state refuses some communities to give this vehicle because "it exists in another nearby community." It can't be done that way. Since we have received so much money from the Recovery Fund, let all communities be equipped. If you don't extinguish the fire when it is lit, everything burns."
Complaints of exploitation for the purpose of compensation by the State
The president of the Limassol Union of Communities also expressed his concern about disinformation and abuses. He cited as an example a case he received yesterday, for an incident that ultimately did not prove to be true. "A friend of mine said to me: 'Lefteris, I received a message saying that a woman is in her car, in a certain community and no one has seen her until today.' It was a false message. I told her: "Tell the lady or the gentleman to call me personally". I have spoken to all my colleagues and I know all the cases," he said. He warned that such incidents indicate an attempt to deceive and exploit the situation.
Another incident is that a person was trying – while his door was just very slightly damaged (scratched) – to cause more damage to the door so that the state could repair it. This was told to me by the community leaders themselves."
Another case is a woman who owns a house that has been uninhabited for 40 years, she now says it was her first home. Does she think she will fool anyone? We have people who live abroad and they have now remembered that they have damage to uninhabited houses, which they did not maintain or pay taxes for years. They owe thousands of euros in taxes to the communities and now they are demanding compensation from the state."
