Firefighters bring Nicosia and Paphos fires under control (Update 3)

The fire service and the forestry department on Wednesday responded to several calls for large and small blazes in all districts with authorities warning that the risk of fires is very high due to the heat.

Firefighting crews had to tackle a fire between Stroumbi and Tsada on Wednesday afternoon, the second reported in the Paphos district in the past 24 hours, while a third broke out near Ergates in the Nicosia district.

Six fire engines and a portable firefighting unit from the game and fauna service were sent to extinguish a fire burning dry grass and wild vegetation in the inaccessible area between Stroumbi and Tsada.

According to fire service spokesman Andreas Kettis, the fire was put under control just after 5pm, after almost four hours since they were alerted about the blaze. It burned around two hectares of dry vegetation, trees and vineyards.

Firefighting crews also responded to a forest fire in the afternoon near the village of Ergates.

The fire was brought under control by crews of the forestry department an hour after it started and after burning around one hectare of olive and other trees.

The forestry department and fire service also jointly responded to a call about a fire on the road between Saittas and Pera Pedi in the mountainous Limassol area. The blaze was put out in just 15 minutes after authorities were alerted at 4.15pm. It burned a small area of wild vegetation.

Earlier in the day, Kettis tweeted that the blaze that broke out between the villages of Kelokedara and Trachipedoula overnight, was being brought under control after a mobilisation of the ‘Ikaros’ contingency plan early Wednesday morning.

The fire did not damage any properties, and air and land forces remained in the area to extinguish the remaining flames and bring the blaze under control, as strong winds kept causing re-ignitions.

Four fire engines from Paphos fire departments initially responded when the blaze started just before 1am. In the early morning hours, three more fire engines arrived at the scene from the forestry department, along with two helicopters.

According to Kettis, more aerial responses arrived from the forestry department, police, national guard and the British bases, with additional firefighting crews on ground joining from Limassol, Larnaca and the Disaster Response Special Unit.

The causes of the fire will be investigated later.

Earlier this month, another fire in Kelokedara destroyed five hectares of dry grass and wild vegetation before four fire engines and two helicopters intervened to put out the blaze.