The government aims to restore electricity to 80 per cent of areas which were impacted by the wildfire which tore through the Limassol district last week by the weekend, Energy Minister George Papanastasiou said on Wednesday.

Speaking after the day’s cabinet meeting, he said there has been “significant progress” in efforts to restore power to fire-hit areas and said that power has now been completely restored to the villages of Ayios Georgios, Silikou, Alassa, Lofou and Malia and the Limassol suburb of Ypsonas.

In addition, he said that over 150 workers are on site “in inaccessible areas, under high temperatures, in difficult conditions”, before thanking them for their work, describing them as “heroes who have been working in the field since day one”.

He said his ministry is “standing by them” and has “found the machinery needed to restore the electrical network”.

“There are also high temperatures out there, under the sun,” he said, adding that workers have been “in ravines and other areas which are difficult to access”.

He also spoke in his capacity as commerce minister, and announced a pair of aid plans for businesses which he had devised in collaboration with the finance ministry.

“The first compensation plan concerns raw materials, goods, supplies which were destroyed by the fire, and those which were destroyed because the power went out. The second plan concerns the reactivation of infrastructure and businesses’ mechanical equipment,” he said,

He said a maximum of €300,000 will be made available to businesses in three instalments, with it currently believed that 19 business premises, 85 warehouses, three restaurants, and one shop have been impacted by the fire.

They are set to be sent damage registration forms by the ministry.