Kapedes forest fire under control

A forest fire that broke out late on Tuesday afternoon in an area near the Machairas national forest park, in Kapedes, was fully under control, the Forestry Department said.

According to a statement, the fire broke out at 7.24 pm in an area of Kapedes village, in the ‘Lofi ton Angelon’ (‘Hills of Angels’) area, near the Machairas national forest park.

The intervention of the forest firefighting forces was immediate, resulting in the fire being brought under control at 8pm after burning 2 decares of bushy vegetation. The extinguishing operation involved 6 fire engines of the Forestry Department and 20 staff.

The department said that forest firefighting forces will remain in the area to avoid any re-ignition. The exact cause of the fire is being investigated.