The findings of the three House committees on agriculture, environment and interior will be published in a joint report highlighting political and institutional failures in the handling of recent wildfires, interior committee chairman and Akel MP Aristos Damianou said on Friday.

“It is standard practice in such matters of great importance to prepare a report. It will reflect the events as they are recorded, the opinions of the guests who spoke at the joint sessions, and it will record political and institutional failures. In our view, these failures are self-evident but have never been properly examined,” he said after the second committee meeting, held on Friday.

One of those invited to testify was Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou, who told MPs that “unprecedented weather conditions” had worsened July’s wildfire in which an elderly couple lost their lives.

Damianou said the meeting made clear the lack of central coordination and timely response, describing it as “indicative of the tragic condition of the state and the government.” He added that no organised evacuation plan had been in place, leaving communities to act independently.

He also questioned Cyprus’ preparedness for future fires, noting that, according to the agriculture ministry, several fire engines withdrawn in recent years due to age have not yet been replaced.

Damianou further pointed to discrepancies between the fire brigade spokesman Andreas Kettis’ initial public statements and the final report prepared by the fire brigade on the blaze, asking who was responsible for the alterations.

During the session, environment committee chairman and Greens MP Charalambos Theopemptou asked whether plans had been drawn up for restoring burnt areas.

He also queried the role of the police during the fire, including whether officers had been deployed to protect homes from robberies.

Looking ahead, he suggested the use of the July 20 sirens and technology capable of sending targeted mass messages to warn residents during crises such as wildfires.

Chairman of the agriculture committee and Akel MP, Giannakis Gabriel, during the joint meeting said that relevant documents requested regarding extinguishing works on the fires had not been submitted so far, adding that instead, the focus had been laid on technocratic issues.

Gabriel then demanded information on the exact time at which the extinguishing aircrafts were deployed and when extinguishing works began in Malia and asked whether the government intended to equip communities with generators and fire trucks in the future.

Damianou said a third joint session will follow to address unanswered questions from the previous meetings, with a particular focus on environmental issues and testimonies from those who worked on the front lines during the fires.