Fire in Kourdaka, Paphos under control

A fire raging on two fronts at the Kourdaka community in Paphos was put under control on Monday, with firefighters set to stay on scene overnight for extra safety.

Around 10 donums of land were burned as a result of the flames, encompassing dry grass, wild vegetation, vineyards, a number of trees and irrigation pipes, fire services spokesman Andreas Kettis said.

The fire was put under control shortly before 6pm. It began at around 1pm.

“Forces will remain throughout the night to fully contain the fire and deal with any flare-ups,” he added.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated though it appears it started from a rural road and spread due to the strong winds in the area.

Earlier in the day, Kettis said 10 fire trucks were at the scene to help the efforts and strong winds were making the fight more difficult.

Initially, three fire fighting vehicles had been deployed and one forestry department aircraft that had been patrolling the area joined the fight.

As things escalated, another two firefighting helicopters were sent in, along with five fire trucks from the fire service, one from the game fund, three from the forestry department and one earth mover.