Filenews 4 August 2025 - by Angelos Nicolaou
On the subject of discussion on the deadly and catastrophic fire of July 23 in the Limassol district, three parliamentary committees (Interior, Agriculture and Environment) are meeting tomorrow with the aim of investigating in depth the causes, the operational response and the consequences of the tragedy, which resulted in the torturous death of two of our fellow human beings and the destruction of the natural environment and properties of incalculable value.
The joint session will examine:
– The consequences of fires, prevention and restoration measures.
– The need for immediate compensation and reactivation of the affected farmers and livestock breeders.
-The adequacy of personnel, means and equipment for the prevention and extinguishing of fires.
-The fire-fighting operational planning of the Department of Forests and the preventive measures taken for the prevention and suppression of forest fires in order to protect the environment.
-The devastating effects of fires on the natural environment and the need to increase the budget allocated for reforestation.
– Measures and actions of the competent services to deal with the environmental impacts of the operation of illegal garbage dumps.
It is obvious that the joint session does not only concern the recent fire, but also seeks answers to issues of general preparedness of the competent Services and prevention measures.
There are two demands: First, that these answers should not always be sought after a major disaster, and second, that we finally move from words to deeds.
The anger of society
The social reaction that followed the recent fires was fierce. The citizens did not only turn against the government.
The political system as a whole was targeted, as the anger in mass gatherings of citizens overflowed with slogans that highlighted a deep disappointment. The disdain was not selective, it was resounding and horizontal.
At the same time, the contradictions in the public debate are intensifying. Those who until recently denounced public spending as wasteful, today discover it as inadequate.
In addition, if the Government were to immediately announce the purchase of new aircraft, the first reactions would concern possible direct assignments and express tenders.
Correspondingly, when the prescribed procedures are followed, the (in case) Government is called upon for delays. The case of the emergency number 112 is typical, since the persistence in the procedures caused delays that cost.
The absence of a strategy by everyone remains a timeless wound. Political crisis management is not organized around a long-term plan, but is exhausted in communication tactics.
Even today, no concrete, feasible proposals have been submitted in the public sphere. On the contrary, there is an abundance of wishes.
Something that MPs of all parties should pay attention to: Perhaps for the first time, the anger of the people is not directed exclusively against the government.
"The collar is catching everyone's guts," one of the farmers who have been irreparably affected by the fire had shouted angrily, and everyone agreed with him.
Parties, MPs, state officials, the entire political/state system, were targeted.
There is a tendency, not unfairly, to discredit everything by the citizens. The burden of reversing this trend inevitably falls on all those responsible, the President of the Republic and his ministers, the parties and their MPs.
As an independent political analyst rightly pointed out, no one is convinced that he is different.
Everyone chooses populism, without setting achievable goals for improving the situation.
We live in a region of the world where fires, unfortunately, are breaking out more and more frequently, and if this attitude of state and other officials continues, the consequences will be much worse next time.
Let everyone finally realize that ashes are not a field for political exploitation, it is a field for unity and change, the analyst concluded.
In the hands of Christodoulides the service reports
Since last Friday, President Christodoulides has been in the hands of the reports of the Fire Service, the Department of Forests, the Civil Defence and the Police, in relation to the deadly fires in the Limassol district.
The President himself has stated that he will take corrective actions as soon as he draws his conclusions from the reports, which is expected to be done immediately.
What remains to be seen is whether the long-awaited reshuffle by society is included in the immediate corrective moves.
Through the reports, it is expected to confirm what has already been officially made public, namely that the fire that broke out outside Malia, shortly after 13:00 on July 23, burned more than 12,000 hectares of land, causing incalculable damage to agricultural crops, pastures and settlements.
The first call to the Fire Service was received at 13:28, with the flames spreading rapidly, as recorded in amateur videos of the period 13:50-14:10.
Twelve minutes after the call, at 13:40, the first two fire trucks arrived from Pachna, while a little later they were reinforced by a third vehicle from Kividas.
The first aircraft took off 34 minutes after the notification, and at about 14:20 they made the first drop of water, i.e. 52 minutes after the Fire Department received the call.
At the same time, a helicopter entered the battle, reinforcing ground forces. Despite the mobilization, for at least 20 minutes only two aircraft and one helicopter operated.
At 14:45, the "IKAROS II" project was activated, allowing more media to be involved.
By 15:20, four helicopters and two aircraft had been deployed, with the drops continuing at an intensive pace. At 15:39, the British Chinook helicopter was also made available to the Cypriot authorities.
By 16:20, the number of aerial means had increased to nine, while by 18:00 a total of 13 aircraft were operating, recording the largest mobilization of aerial firefighting in Cyprus in recent years.
What has not been officially announced to the outside world, but which cross-referenced information mentions, is the lack of understanding and the negligence of the Departments responsible for extinguishing fires, i.e. the Fire Service and the Department of Forests.
According to this information, the notification of the fire, which is known to have occurred in an area under the responsibility of the Fire Service, arrived late to the Forestry Department, which in turn was slow to send forces commensurate with the severity of the fire.
But even when he sent them, it seems that most of the forest firefighters tried to protect the perimeter areas of responsibility of the Department of Forests and did not directly reinforce the efforts of the Fire Service who were fighting inside the burning villages.
If this is the case, the responsibilities of those involved are enormous. Logically, President Christodoulides will receive comprehensive information through the reports submitted to him and must inform the people.
It must inform him about the level of readiness and possible responsibilities of the Civil Defense but also about the effectiveness of the new arrangement with the aircraft, which were placed under the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense.
The extraordinary joint meeting of the Committees is called upon to answer crucial questions:
-Was there a delay in the mobilization of the aircraft?
-The planning and readiness of the state services was adequate
– What was the factor that within 30 minutes the fire in the Limassol district became uncontrollable?
-What was the degree of coordination between the bodies involved?
-What are the responsibilities of District Administrations, Community Councils and each of us who leaves around our property gross (fuel in the field)?
-Have substantial preventive measures been taken?
– What are the responsibilities of the Civil Defence? Could the tragic death of two of our compatriots have been avoided?
– What about the emergency number 112?
– What measures should have already been taken but have not yet been adopted for the protection and management of the areas of the Natura 2000 network affected by the fire?
– What measures will be taken for the restoration of the burned areas?
-How many and which watershed basins and water reservoir protection zones were affected by the recent major fires?
