Ayios Mamas fire under complete control (Update 4)

The forest fire that broke out on in Ayios Mamas in Limassol is under complete control as of midday on Thursday, according to the Forestry department

The fire, which broke out on Wednesday around 3.15pm and burned an area of ​​1.5 square kilometers of pine forest vegetation.

One firefighter was slightly injured after slipping during efforts to extinguish the blaze and was transferred to the Limassol general hospital for treatment.

“We managed to prevent the fire from reaching the riverbed, which would have been a catastrophic event and the firefighters deserve to be commended for their excellent work,” forestry services spokesman George Constantinou told the CyBC.

To extinguish the fire, the ‘Ikaros 2’ plan was re-activated at the first light of day with the participation of eight aerial firefighting vehicles.

A total of 200 people from the forestry department with 30 fire engines, six earth-movers and two tankers operated in the area.

The operation also involved 20 employees from fire service with six fire engines, 19 from the civil defence with six small fire engines, 10 from the game service, members of the ambulance service, the police, the national guard, the Limassol district administration, volunteers, and residents.

Firefighting forces remain in the area to monitor the fire and to deal with possible flare-ups.