Blaze near Ayia Fyla all but contained after raging for five hours

Firefighters on Thursday evening had all but fully contained a blaze near the Ayia Fyla shooting range in Limassol, with the flames at one point reportedly coming close to inhabited areas.

The fire was reported to authorities at around 4pm. It was raging in the area between the villages of Ayia Fyla and Palodia.

Assisting the Fire Service with manpower, vehicles and firefighting planes was the forestry department, with the disaster response unit (Emak) also taking part.

The planes’ water drops proved crucial in bringing the situation under control.

The fire initially burned through brushland, but later in the day media reported the flames were spreading close to residential areas.

By nightfall authorities said the blaze was being brought under control, but firefighters would remain on alert on the ground throughout the night in case of flare-ups.

By about 8pm the fire had burned through an area of about a square kilometre.

The causes for the blaze were under investigation. Media said a garbage dump in the vicinity may have played a part.