The villages of the Limassol Mountains are burning – not just from the flames, but from abandonment. This year’s fires were not just a natural disaster. They were the result of political abandonment, institutional indifference and a blatant lack of prevention that residents have been complaining about for decades.

"It wasn't a question of if the mountain would burn – but when."

– Community leader of the village of Orini, Limassol

THE ABSENCE OF PREVENTION: THE WARNINGS THAT NO ONE HEARD

For years, the residents of Limassol Mountain have been warning in every way:

• Dry grass and flammable vegetation remained untidy around houses, roads, and forest areas.

• No provision for an evacuation plan — no scenarios, no preparedness exercises.

• Lack of fire stations and tanks at strategic points. Many water tanks remained empty and without operational control.

• Absence of fire protection posts at high surveillance points, which would allow for the timely detection of smoke or fire.

• No provision for aircraft with 24-hour readiness, so that they could intervene immediately at the first spark.

• Fire stations were damaged or non-existent in many communities. Each community council was responsible for maintaining them and supervising their operation. There were European funds through the Ministry of Agriculture for both the supply of new nests and their regular maintenance — and yet, they were not utilized.

• Lack of funding for mountainous areas to create more local fire stations and new organic firefighter positions.

• Understaffing of existing units: Firefighters are fighting hard, often exhausted and sleepless, without the necessary personnel reinforcement.

And yet, no substantial action was taken. The voices of the residents were persistent, well-documented, and desperate. But the state — with its ministries, departments, and institutions — chose silence.

DELAYS THAT COST LIVES AND PROPERTY

No major fire develops into a tragedy without the contribution of human negligence or institutional inadequacy. In the Limassol Mountains, the delays were successive and critical:

• Appearance of helicopters: They were more than 3 hours late in appearing on the fronts. By then, the flames had already reached residential areas.

• Civil Defense mobilization: Very limited presence and lack of personnel. No mechanism to support elderly or infirm citizens was activated.

• First on-site assessment: Delayed reaction by the authorities resulted in ignorance of the extent of the fronts. There was no overall picture.

• Firefighting equipment: Insufficient equipment, without sufficient tanks, pumps or personal protective equipment (masks, respirators).

Evacuation: Disorganized and without clear instructions. Residents evacuated on their own, in private vehicles, without help, without information.

These omissions are not simple weaknesses. They are administrative crimes that contributed to the loss of homes, property and – unfortunately – human lives.

LACK OF COORDINATION – CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE

There is no serious fire protection plan in the Limassol Mountains. Despite the disasters of 2007, 2021 and 2023, the state did not strengthen local fire safety. The competent bodies – Ministry of Interior, Forest Service, Civil Defense – share the responsibility.

"We were waiting for them to come from Limassol, while the houses were burning next to us."

– Testimony of a resident from Palodia

SHOCKING TESTIMONIALS

"There was a fire 100 meters from our house. We shouted – no one. No police, no fire department. We only had a water hose."

"My grandfather couldn't leave. We were told to wait for instructions that never came. Everything burned down."

"We didn't want to leave – not because we weren't afraid, but because we knew there would be no one to save the houses."

WHO ARRIVED?

THE GOVERNMENT

Instead of strengthening prevention, it rested on chance. The absorption of European funds for forest firefighting remains uncontrolled. The National Fire Action Plan (2022–2026) remains unimplemented, while funds were absorbed without transparency.

THE PARTIES

Everyone present at the anniversaries, no one present when the mountain burns. Not a single substantive question in Parliament about the situation of the Limassol Mountains over the last 5 years.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

With few exceptions, they did not pressure, did not organize training or clean-ups, did not demand meetings with the Fire Department or Civil Defense.

IT ALL BECAME A WRONG – AND WE KNOW IT ALL

This year's tragedy was not unforeseen. It was foretold.

It wasn't just the flames. It was the negligence, the arrogance, the impunity.

It was the absence of preventive action, the absence of people, the absence of a state.

CALL NOW – NO MORE MEMORIAL WITH CELEBRATIONS

• Creation of more fire stations in the Limassol Mountains

• Creation of fire stations at the highest points of each community and as many cameras for fires

• Training and employing more firefighters and forest rangers who have the appropriate equipment

• Mandatory evacuation plans per community

• Annual cleaning by the Forest Service and Communities

• Transparency in firefighting funds

• If necessary, provide for the training of groups of volunteer residents per community for immediate intervention in the event of a fire, with the simultaneous provision of the necessary firefighting equipment. It would be particularly useful for the Fire Service, in collaboration with the Civil Defense, to organize volunteer training programs in each community – especially for people who are well-versed in the local morphology – so that they can assist both in the evacuation of homes and in extinguishing fires. At the same time, those who have suitable vehicles (trucks, tankers, rural 4x4s, etc.) should be given the opportunity to declare them, so that they can be used to create firefighting zones. Participating volunteers should be provided with the appropriate equipment for their safety and effective intervention.

• Strict and deterrent measures with high administrative fines and prison sentences should be imposed on those who:

• perform burning,

• light fires without a permit,

• are indifferent to weather conditions and fire safety rules.

• Impunity and lax enforcement of laws have no place in a country that mourns the loss of human lives, damaged property and burned forests every year. These acts are not negligence – they are criminal indifference and must be treated as such.

  Fire stations in every community must be maintained, adequately equipped and in a fully operational condition. Although funds are allocated for fire protection, it is observed that in several communities the stations are neglected, out of order or completely non-existent.

• This constitutes serious negligence and endangers human lives and property. Local authorities and competent bodies must regularly check the condition of fire stations and ensure that they are ready for use at all times. It is not allowed to declare "covered needs" on paper, when in practice the communities are unfortified.

• Firefighting planes with patrol capability, which have the maximum possible capacity of water or other extinguishing material, with high-precision dropping capability, and which can operate during the night.

If we don't speak up now, next year we'll be writing again about the same villages, the same losses, the same state absence.

It's time for everyone to be held accountable. Not later. Now.

✍️ fothkia.com – Because the flames didn't burn us. Abandonment burned us.

Of Editorial Research | fothkia.com

LACK OF PREVENTION — THE SILENCE BEFORE THE DESTRUCTION