Scores of residents of Kili village gathered on Tuesday outside government buildings in Paphos to protest against their exclusion from compensation to be given to people whose properties were damaged by last June’s fires in their area.

The residents demanded equal treatment as others affected by the recent fires.

Kili community leader Michalakis Efthimiou said that despite the government’s announcements about compensation of all fire victims, the community has not been included in the list.

It is unfair,” Efthymiou said.

He added that around two square kilometres with carob, olive and almond trees, grains, beehives, and livestock farms within the village but, to date, no official went to record the damage. Efthymiou noted that the fires burned 120 plots of land and affected more than 100 families in the community of Kili.

He also pointed out that in other cases, the compensation has already been received by those affected.

The cabinet announced last month that compensation would be given to the people affected by the fires in the Paphos district.

The fire in question started on June 26 between Kamares and Zelemenos spread up the ravine in Karmi and to the outskirts of Kili, destroying two square kilometres of land in total.

Paphos district officer Mary Lambou had said at the time that the damage as regards vegetation and trees mainly concerned the Kili area. In nearby Tala, the fire destroyed two residences while another one was extensively damaged. Serious damage was also recorded to the exterior of four more residences in Tala.