Fire in Akrounda spreads to state forest, president heads to the scene (Update 3)

The dangerous fire raging in the Akrounda area had veered out of control on Saturday, as the flames spread to the state forest area.

President Nicos Christodoulides was making his way to the scene as firefighters from all over the country have been deployed to the area.

Spokesman for the forestry department George Constantinou said 80 personnel were on the ground with 14 firefighting vehicles, four tankers and three diggers.

Strong winds fanning the flames were making the fight even harder. The fire began at around 1pm and two hours later, authorities reported 15 donums of agricultural land were burned including pine trees and vegetations.

There were five aircraft deployed, two helicopters and one national guard helicopter which was coordinating the efforts.

Meanwhile the fire services had deployed nine individuals with three vehicles, with more en route to join the fight.

Head of the forestry department Charalambos Alexandrou said the fire was a dangerous one due to the topography of the area and strong winds, adding the Ikaros 2 plan was in place.

Air crews were readying to withdraw from the fight as darkness approached, leaving the bulk of the firefighting to ground crews.