Up to 10 days to fully extinguish the fire in the occupied territories The chronicle of the big fires
A week to 10 days will be needed for the final extinguishing of the big fire in the Kandara region in the occupied territories, according to the "minister of agriculture", Dursun Oguz.
As reported by the T/C media, Oguz said that last night there was danger because the wind started blowing from the opposite side and efforts were made to prevent reignitions. He also said that the construction of firebreaks was continuing, while two firefighting helicopters from Turkey and the "security forces" were stationed in the occupied territories just in case.
The T/C media are widely reporting today on the fires of the past,[/B] the devastation they caused and the questions of how it came about and who is responsible for the Kadara fire. More and more photos are being published from the area of the burnt land and reveal the extent of the destruction.
Many T/C media outlets report that 83 fires occurred between 1995 and 2020, according to the report prepared last June for the "parliamentary commission of inquiry". Of these, 16 were caused by falling lightning, 46 were deliberately set while for the rest the causes are unclear.
The same report included a recommendation to prepare a protocol for extinguishing fires. It is also noted that the fire-fighting teams are not sufficient, there is a lack of equipment for both manpower and fire-fighting vehicles and since there is no full fire-fighting vehicle, it is not possible to intervene as it should be in forest or land areas and there are great difficulties in extinguishing (forest) fires.
It is also noted that there is a confusion of responsibilities, noting that in 2016 the "disaster and emergency management coordination committee" was created under the "prime ministry", to which all departments and agencies responsible for firefighting were assigned. It was also found that there is no fire-fighting engineer in the permanent staff of the 'forest department' and the activities related to fire-fighting measures are carried out by temporary employees.
It is known that sparks from the exhaust of agricultural and other vehicles working in the fields can cause a fire, the same report noted, with the TC media underlining that the fire in Flamoudi was started by a spark in an excavator located on a plot of land within a forest area.
It is also reported that in the occupied there are 4 cameras monitoring forest areas, donated by Turkey.
Meanwhile, the "prefect" of Trikomou, Ertuğrul Toroslu told the website Kipris Postasi that the firefighting helicopter[/B] (which Turkey has given to the pseudo-state) is very difficult to maintain. The firefighting aircraft, he added, can be operated with less maintenance and less personnel and is more efficient.
The website refers to the 4 largest fires in the occupied territories, on 27 June 1995 in the Kyrenia - Pentadaktylus area, where 8 were burned.900 hectares of land, on 4 August 1998 in Limnitis, when 3,753 hectares were burnt, 2020 in the area of Morphou, Kaputi - Diorios where 1000 hectares were burnt and the last one on 21 June in Flamoudi where the largest area was burnt, 20.000 hectares. In total, it is reported, in the 4 largest fires in the occupied territories, the area burnt is over 33.000 hectares.
The causes of the Kantara fire
The T/C media are currently dealing with the causes of the Kantara fire and who gave permission for what plot of land in the forest area within which there was an excavator that caught fire from a spark and thus started the big fire.
The plot was given to Khalil Kartal and is the second in the area for that person, writes Kipris Postasi, noting that the permit was issued during Hakan Ditzyurek's tenure at the "Ministry of Agriculture". The plot was allegedly granted in the form of a lease of "state" forest land, which can only be done - as stated - in the "public interest."
Both Kipris Postsi and Avrupa ask why a plot within the forest was given to a private person, what it served, what was the price for it. Avrupa even believes that the responsibility for this fire goes all the way back to the person who gave the land in question.
Source: CNA
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