Newsroom
The head of Tala’s Community Council said Monday that efforts to establish firebreaks face major obstacles, following criticism from residents after a wildfire swept through parts of Paphos district over the weekend.
Council president Ioannis Konikos said the local authority cannot easily create firebreak zones on its own, citing rugged terrain and the difficulty of locating absentee landowners.
“There are many plots that need to be cleared, but in some cases the owners are unknown to us,” Konikos said, adding that existing laws do not always help when property holders cannot be reached.
He pledged that all accessible plots in the community would be cleared “immediately,” though he acknowledged the scale of the task.
Konikos noted that fire crews and volunteers managed to contain the flames near Prophet Elias church on Sunday, stopping the blaze from spreading toward Melissovouno, a residential area with many homes.
With information from CNA.
