Gov’t vows to reforest fire-razed Rhodes
Nearly 5,000 hectares of land razed on Rhodes by a six-day fire will be reforested, Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos pledged yesterday following talks with local authority officials on the island. The fire ravaged huge tracts of virgin forest on the island, and killed many wild animals, including deer and rabbits. There were no human casualties. Pavlopoulos, who surveyed the damage to the island during a helicopter ride, pledged 1.25 million euros to authorities in the areas worst hit by the blaze so that local farmers who lost livestock or suffered severe crop losses can be compensated. The extent of the damage wreaked by the fire was yesterday unclear but the army’s geographical service is today due to start taking aerial photographs that will help create a general overview. On the basis of these photographs, authorities will be able to plan the construction of anti-corrosion and anti-flood works so the first heavy rains do not bring another wave of problems. A special initiative is to get under way this week to boost the international promotion of the island, one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations. Last week’s fire prompted the evacuation of thousands of tourists from local hotels as a precautionary measure. Meanwhile, a Rhodes prosecutor ordered a preliminary investigation to determine what caused the blaze to rage for six days. Last Friday, a 61-year-old man was sentenced to four years in prison for starting a fire in the village of Aghios Isidoros which is believed to have provoked the large blaze in Laerma, a few kilometers away.
