Firefighters extinguished two house fires that caused serious damage, although no casualties, fire service spokesman Andreas Kettis said on Friday.

The first fire, reported on Thursday, concerned a house in Aglandjia, where the fire was caused by a lit oil lamp on the kitchen counter.

“The fire spread, causing damages to kitchen equipment, while the residents were absent from the house,” Kettis said.

The second fire broke out after midnight, in a wooden beam and plasterboard two-storey house in Lakatamia.

“The fire, started from a fireplace, burning part of the masonry and the ceiling of the house,” Kettis added.

The fire service responded to 26 incidents in the 24 hour period leading until Friday morning, of which 12 were fires and 14 other services.