More fires – why?
With forty more serious fires recorded this week, Cyprus Today can reveal a possible cause.
President Akıncı has called for the reasons behind the catastrophic Kalkanlı fire to be “brought out to the open,” as investigations continue into the worst forest blaze for 25 years.
Presidential spokesman, Barış Burcu, issued a written statement, which said: “Every catastrophe should bring with it lessons which should be learnt.” It mourned the loss of the historic Monumental Olive Trees of Kalkanlı which had brought “great sadness” to the country.
As the authorities recorded a further 40 major fires this week, inquiries by Cyprus Today suggested that a lack of pruning and grass cutting due to the corona virus restrictions may have contributed to the disaster.
Environmental and forestry experts said the authorities were “very late” in undertaking the yearly pruning of branches and bushes – which have physical contact with high voltage overhead cables - plus dry grass underneath. Both are highly susceptible to sparking in high heat, particularly if sap oozes from pine trees. The cause of many of this week’s fires was recorded as “sparks between electricity cables.”
Cyprus Turkish Electrical Engineers Chamber head, Görkem Çelik, told Cyprus Today they had been “alarmed” at “more frequent sightings” across the country of tree branches and bushes touching electricity poles and cables.
“The authorities are too late in pruning the branches and bushes that are touching high voltage electricity cables – which has probably come about due to the Covid-19 lockdown, and because of the early arrival of peak temperatures.”
He added: “There are 700km of high voltage electricity lines across the TRNC in fields and forests. The dry grass under and surrounding them needs to be periodically cleared if they are higher than 30cm, which is the responsibility of [Electricity Authority] Kıb-Tek.
“The insulators which would have attracted a lot of dust and dirt during the winter season need to be cleaned at regular periods, as well as transformers seen near roadsides, with dangerously close dry grass and weeds susceptible to starting a fire from the heat and sparks.”
He said: “We have received many complaints that in lower voltage cables (like in villages) there are tree branches and bushes that have contact with the electricity cables – making it very dangerous. Because of the lockdown, municipalities and Kıb-Tek are very late in pruning tree branches that are touching electricity lines as well as ground level vegetation. We have observed dry grass that is over 1metre long on many road sides with overhanging electricity cables. This is a real danger to fires breaking out, notwithstanding the risks from cigarette butts, rubbish, pollution and dry vegetation that can, from just one spark, start a fire.”
Mr Çelik also backs the state buying a helicopter “because they are the best machines that can be used to clean insulators of high power cables – which are located so high up from the ground.”
Forestry Engineers Chamber general secretary, Zorlu Yıkıcı, who headed the Forestry Department Reforestation and Anti Erosion branch for 28 years, called the government “negligent”, saying: “Whilst the government focused all its energy on Covid-19, they have completely forgotten the forests. Everyone has pulled aside fearing the virus, and in doing so neglected the forests. Even in Australia, with all its high tech technology, have they been able to protect forests? Have the Greek Cypriots also been able to protect the forests even with their camera system, airplanes and helicopters? In Turkey, there are big forest
fires every year. . .forests can only be protected through active public measures.”
He said there “should have been antifire teams on the ready on standby in April, and for machines should have started widening fire breaks in the forests and fields. We are also informed that electricity cables are being touched by vegetation and trees. These and road sides need to be cleared.”
Also speaking to this newspaper, Biologists Association head, Hasan Sarpten said: “We need to consider every possibility giving way to these widespread catastrophic fires. We cannot say that the fires are because of ‘one’ cause, but from numerous causes.
“We support the view that the lack of clearing of dry grass on road sides and frequent clearing of electrical transformers and insulators and snapping electricity cables during high winds can cause the start of fires. As the Biologist Association, we call on the authorities to start an immediate pruning of branches touching live electricity cables – which should be done with coordination between Kıb-Tek, the municipalities and the government.
“Everyone has a responsibility. But if this is not done, we will have neglected taking effective steps to prevent these fires. The issue is not about the fires themselves, it is about prevention, and how to tackle this effectively, because the heat has already arrived and nothing has been done to clear the electricity lines or their surroundings,” he said.
The Nature and Protection of Wildlife Association said in a written statement that “respecting the fact that forest fires will break out even without people, the human factor is increasing the number of fires. This is why there needs to be preventative measures and to decrease the chances of fires from breaking out. The administration needs to act.”