They fought who could: watered from garden hoses, carried water from pools in basins and pots, dug fire stripes with tractors and shovels. Suni - a picturesque village, which appeared in the way of the elements - became the most affected community of Cyprus: 73 houses burned. It would be more if it were not for the dedication of those who remained to protect their house, at the same time saving the neighbors at home.
Last week in Cyprus, one of the most destructive fires has occurred over the past decades - in area, in the number of injured communities and by the number of destroyed houses. The fire covered 124 km² of territory - trees, fields, farms and houses disappeared in a matter of hours. The flame moved quickly and unpredictably.
There was no warning about the direction of fire movement
In early June, the official representative of the government from the rostrum confidently stated: “Absolute combat readiness. Modern strategy. Fortified forces. " But the July fire showed the opposite: Cyprus was not ready for the disaster of such complexity.
The warning system through SMS, as it turned out, worked only for those who brought themselves to the newsletter base in advance. Many residents did not even know that such registration was generally necessary. As a result, thousands of people were left without warning, learning about the danger, when it was already too late and the fire got to the forest near the village. And at the moment when the residents of Suni especially needed help, she was not there. There was not a single helicopter or aircraft in the sky that could drop water, cutting off the fire from the village.
Suni was outside the list of priorities
All firefighters Limassol were involved in extinguishing a fire of a huge square. They were clearly not enough, brigades from other regions left for the rescue. Salvation services were sent to where the greatest danger was. At the moment when Suni was burning, firefighters tried to stop the fire on the way to the industrial zone of Limassol. If production enterprises began to burn, toxic smoke would cover the whole city. While the risks were considered - the village of Suni was burning.
Five heroes inspired to fight the elements
Five men who were not connected with the village came to save people. On bulldozers. And they began to clear the grass along the roads, creating protective stripes. They saved dozens of houses from the flame. But the main thing is that they inspired those who almost did not believe in salvation. Their presence and actions became the point of support - with their example, they returned the hope of those who were on the verge of despair.
On behalf of all residents of Suni, we thank: Marios Kipu, Panikos Evdokim, Kipros Khristodul, Avidas Tumas and Stasis Herosavva.
Battle of Fire and the Power of the Community
People of different nationalities live in the village, on July 23, they were united by one goal: to save Suni. On a critical evening and endless night, everyone rallied, without looking back at nationality, age and gender: Cypriots, Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars, Belarusians, Greeks, Turks, Moldovans, Arabs, Jews - all together survived in the fight against fire. It was one team. One rhythm. One fight. Those who stayed in the village fought for their homes and houses of neighbors. They did what the state was supposed to do.
Here is a list of these people: - Alexander Kolesov - Aleksis Mnatsakanyan - Anastasia Estyatyana - Andrey Kozlov - Andrey Surikov - Avetik Muradov - Denis Shmerov - Dionysos Pursanidis - Dmitry Burmistrov - Dmitry Nechaev - Edgar Beniaminov - Fedorzinis Zumenis - Ioannis Aivazidisis - Ioannis Avazidis - Konstantin Vorontsov - Mikhail Gamrekleidze - Mikola Zakhrav - Nadia Zakhrav - Natalia Makushkina - Oleksandr Nediev - Oleksandr Solomakh - Oleksiy Shunkov - Roman Fatkulbayanov - Ruslan Galeev - Stanislav Dashin - Theo Radiotis - Violetta Shmerova - Vladimir Pororykhikhikhin
We need state support
Of course, I would like to understand why public services did not protect Suni from the fire. It turned out that the main thing in such a situation is caring and brave people who were able to mobilize the inhabitants.
The struggle with the fire in Suni proved: strength - in the community. Not technologies are saved, not special services. People who are not waiting for the order are saved. And thanks to them, Suni survived the first night. But it was not the end of the struggle. From Thursday to Sunday, patrols were on duty, which extinguished repeated fires. Then I had to fight the looters. Residents of Suni created a group, organized food, coffee, walkie -talkies, and are on duty on shifts. On the ashes there is a heavy smell of Gary, mixed with the smell of rotting garbage. In the early days, there was neither light nor water, utilities did not take out garbage. Gradually everything is getting better. But there is still a lot of work to restore the village. We need help from the state to those who have lost property-they need to live somewhere, rebuild their homes at some means. It is necessary to organize a clearing of the burned outskirts of the village so that residents can breathe full breasts.
Inna Orlova, resident of Suni
Photo by the author
