A blaze in Vasa Koilani, in Limassol, was brought under control by the fire service said on Wednesday, after an all-night battle.

Fire services spokesman Andreas Kettis told the CyBC that the situation had been especially difficult as the “fire behaved as it would have in the middle of the summer”.

The unseasonably hot weather of previous days and the ongoing drought created ideal fire conditions, he said. Coupled with strong winds that caused frequent flare ups, and having to battle the fire on hard-to-access terrain in a gully, made the situation extremely critical, Kettis said.

The blaze was brought under control at dawn with fire fighting personnel using earth movers to carve out access routes and firebreaks.

Firefighting forces from Limassol and the forestry department, with reinforcements requested from Larnaca and disaster response unit Emak, are to remain at the scene on Wednesday.

The fire, which broke out on Tuesday afternoon, burned through 35 hectares of dry grass, wild vegetation and trees.