PRESIDENT Tassos Papadopoulos and other politicians yesterday called the fire a tragedy and a catastrophe and focused on what would need to be done to help those who sustained damage to their property.
They also fended off murmurings from some residents that the response of fire fighters had been slow and that some of the equipment was inadequate. There were also calls for who or whatever was responsible for the fire to be brought to justice.
Papadopoulos called the fire a tragedy. ”There are people who have lost equipment, vehicles, tractors, houses and barns. All will be recorded and the Council of Ministers will examine the data,” he said.
“The damage to the houses and farms can be replaced in a short time but the same cannot be said for this forest area, which was planted in 1972. You can imagine… Every forest fire is a tragedy.”
Asked to comment on complaints of a slow response, Papadopoulos said the response by all relevant services was immediate
“Some people say we need more helicopters. How do they know that would have helped? Has everyone now suddenly become and expert?”
Agriculture Minister Photis Photiou also defended the emergency services.
“The destruction was massive. Right now we are trying to get an account of the damage to the forest, farmlands and houses,” he said. “Today is a difficult and emotional day for all of us. There has been good co-operation, good work done throughout the whole operation. All the services pulled together to fight the fire. In other countries, fires like this could go on for days.”
Opposition DISY leader Nicos Anastassiades described the fire, said to be the worst ever seen in Cyprus, as a “biblical catastrophe”.
“The government needs to make sure that all the necessary help is given to the residents that have been affected by this tragedy,” he said.
Anastassiades said he didn’t want to comment on any alleged responsibilities or inefficiencies. “This is not the right time,” he said.
“The investigation will shed light into what happened.”
EAC spokesman Costas Gavrielides also commented on claims the fire started from an overhead cable, saying the allegations were premature.
“We don’t know to what extent the Forestry Department is qualified to establish the exact cause of the fire, but we maintain stringent standards,” he said.
Asked whether the possibility could be excluded, Gavrielides said: “Nothing can be excluded.” He said the EAC would wait for the conclusions of the official investigation.
Interior Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis said he had already met the community leaders of the affected areas. “It was very sad to see all of the hard hit areas and the damage,” he said. “Thankfully no houses were burned in Pelendri and Amiandos.” He said the government would be looking at the compensation issue.
