Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis on Thursday afternoon denied that the government had been “negligent” in its handling of a wildfire which broke out in Limassol on Wednesday and killed two, saying that its deadly consequences had instead been caused by “unprecedented conditions”.
“From the very first moment, all the plans and all the protocols which had been drawn up were activated in unprecedented conditions, in a fire of which the cause is still being investigated. The temperatures, strong winds, and drought … aggravated the situation and made it even more difficult,” he said.
He added that various government ministers have visited the coordination centre in the Limassol suburb of Ypsonas on Thursday, and added that at that centre, there is “mapping, inventory, and evaluation”.
When a journalist put to him the question of whether the government had been negligent, he stressed that “from the very first moment, the mechanisms were activated and all available aerial and ground resources were in operation”.
“Unfortunately, the fire fronts were very large. You have seen the unprecedented destruction, despite the enormous efforts and the activation of these procedures. We are facing an unprecedented situation and the people on site will continue to make every effort possible so that the fire can be contained and brought under control,” he said.
He then added that the situation on Thursday afternoon was “critical”, and said, “we have to deal with three fronts at the moment, where there are resurgences and very ominous weather conditions”.
His comments echo those of Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis, who stressed on Thursday morning that “everything that could have been done under the circumstances was done” when he spoke to CyBC radio.
“This is not the time for apportioning blame. The fire must be brought under control. I understand the pain, the sadness, and the destruction of a lifetime’s worth of work, but that does not imply disorganisation on the government’s part,” he said.
Accusations of negligence on the government’s part were largely made by village mukhtars from the area impacted by the fire, with Souni-Zanakia village mukhtar Nikos Vikis telling CyBC that “we evacuated the village on our own” and that “we asked for help but got nothing”.
He later appeared on Politis radio and offered more criticism for the authorities, saying that “fire engines started coming to Souni when the fire had burnt half the village”.
Later in the day, Vouni village mukhtar Mattheos Protopapas told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) that when his village was “engulfed in flames” on Wednesday afternoon, “we did not receive any help from the fire brigade from the beginning”.
Click here to change your cookie preferences