It is our minds that they will burn as it is. They’ve already burned theirs.
They went, they say, to a quarry in the Limassol forest to destroy smoke bombs and flares. They do this every year, but yesterday, especially, they didn’t realise that it was the first day of almost scorching heat. And if that wasn’t enough, they threw a flare into the quarry and forgot to disarm it. So, the flare flew out of the quarry and started the first major fire of the year.
However, the Mines Service, to their credit, admitted their mistake. ‘Unfortunately, it was an unfortunate moment, and the incident occurred,’ the director told philenews. At least that’s something. Because last year, when the Electricity Authority’s cables started fires, they didn’t admit it. Apart from that, they make strict laws to scare farmers who burn weeds and grass, burning the green along with the dry. They also burn by accident, but if they’re caught, they can go to jail.
Here, you might say, they were reassuring us that the fire was under control at lunchtime, but by the time I finished my lunch, they were sounding the alarm that it was out of control. And a little later, they started notifying residents in Vasa Kellakiou that they might need to evacuate the village.
Fortunately, however, the President of the Republic called a major meeting in March in preparation for the new fire season, and a big decision was made. The summer forest fire fighting period will be extended to eight consecutive months, from six, i.e. from April to November, inclusive. A wise idea.
As the Government Spokesman explained, what has been observed in recent years is that the high-risk periods, due to climate change, are expanding and prolonging. Indeed. That’s why I say, they’re expanding into their minds now, too.
Because if they had their wits about them, they wouldn’t spend all day in meetings and planning. They would make sure to have fire-fighting resources and coordination in place to put out the fires.
How is it, for example, that they realise that the high-risk periods are extending, and yet they’re still in the process of procuring fire-fighting aircraft? When will they arrive, then? In the middle of summer? After more forests have burned?
However, it was decided to gradually purchase ten fire-fighting aircraft by the state within the next five years. Bravo.
But what will happen until then? Yesterday, for example, during the first forest fire, one fire-fighting aircraft from the Department of Forests (the only one we have), a police helicopter, and a helicopter from the British Bases were deployed. At least the presidential plane could have gone to help. Or, like the ministerial car of Maria Panagiotou, it could have broken down halfway there.
The Agriculture Minister was on her way to the fire but only made it as far as Kofinou. Her car couldn’t go any further, so a police patrol car was called to take her the rest of the way. It’s not funny; it’s sad that this is where we are.
P.S. The police are investigating, they say, the relationships Demetroui, who was shot the other day in broad daylight, had with Alexoui, who was recently murdered. The police don’t know these relationships yet, they’re just now investigating to find out. Others are pulling our legs!
Because the war of the underworld rages on even when the police have drawn up plans and are on alert, sending the message that they will strike organised crime with heavy weapons…
And we have Marios Hartsiotis making statements about leaks to journalists and instructing them to limit information. He doesn’t seem concerned that criminals are shooting someone in broad daylight, as they leave a police station, but he’s worried about journalists informing the public.
He probably hasn’t realised yet that the mafia gets their information directly from the ‘rotten apples’ (as admitted by ministers of justice and police chiefs themselves) and doesn’t rely on newspapers.
