Government responds to fire with €6 million aid

The Republic of Cyprus has announced €6 million in financial aid for villages affected by a deadly fire, including compensation to the families of victims, with the government clarifying that illegal or uninsured structures would not be an issue.

Interior Minister Nikos Nouris on Wednesday announced that the Cabinet decided to provide financial compensation to the families of four men who perished in the fire that also destroyed an area of 20 square miles in the foothills of the Troodos mountain range within Limassol and Larnaca district boundaries.

Four seasonal farm workers from Egypt were killed in Saturday’s fire when they were trapped while trying to escape the inferno, with reports saying the rapid spread of fire and an abandoned vehicle blocking the road made their evacuation an impossible task.

According to Nouris, two of the families will receive €95,000 each and the other two will be given €185,000 and €245,000 respectively. Academic scholarships worth €35,000 per person at The University of Cyprus will also be set up for children of the victims.

As for property damages in the area, the minister said financial aid would be scaled to damages caused to houses, professional premises and vehicles in the region.

Following reports that people affected in the fire were being asked to submit documentation along with their claims, representatives of local residents, farmers, as well as those who had holiday homes in the area, accused administrators of sticking to red tape.

But it later emerged that many structures had been constructed illegally in the area, meaning that no building permits had been issued or some structures were built outside residential zones.

Officials clarified Thursday morning that the government would not examine the legal status of structures in question.

Nouris said estimates carried out by affected district administrations showed that Larnaca suffered the biggest blow with damages amounting to €4.05 million, followed by Limassol with damages at €1.21 million. Paphos was also affected by a different area with €0.38 million worth of damages, while island-wide damages reached €5.64 million.

Agriculture Minister Costas Kadis also weighed in with an announcement of additional €3 million, including an initial stipend between €10,000 and 30,000 per eligible affected farmer designed to avoid interruption of their activities.

Another €100,000 will go to Vasiliki Gi, a fruit and vegetable farmers union in Odou mainly targeting young farmers, according to the Cyprus News Agency.

Education and Labor ministries have also taken measures to accommodate those affected by the fire, with children going back to school in September promised to have €200 each for back-to-school expenses.

Affected families will also be exempt from paying tuition and fees at public kindergartens while kids will be signed up in breakfast programs for free.

Labor has offered to cover expenses for any foreign workers who wished to return to their countries of origin, while also vowing to step in and fulfill obligations on the part of self-employed locals during the entire summer.

Companies and private businesses as well as people all over the Republic have also offered help to those affected by the fire, with local media saying donations included food, clothes, various items, and money deposited in a special bank account.