The wildfire that broke out on Sunday near the Paphos villages of Stroumbi and Kili and reignited around noon on Monday in the ravine between the two communities has been brought under control, fire service spokesman Andreas Kettis said.

Kettis also said the fire service will examine and assess all evidence related to the blaze in the area known as Kolasi, hell in Greek, between Kili and Stroumbi.

He said that all scenarios are under investigation, including the possibility of arson.

He said the rekindling is being tackled with two aerial means, while at the same time efforts are being made to secure the area with ground forces.

Kili community leader Michalis Efthymiou left open the possibility of malicious activity, saying the fire appeared to start almost simultaneously in two spots about 200 metres apart.

Two helicopters from Jordan are expected to arrive later on Monday.

Authorities said the Jordanian aircraft may also remain in Cyprus for precautionary reasons.

Agriculture ministry director general Andreas Gregoriou said that Cyprus had requested air support from Greece, Jordan and Israel to tackle the blaze over the weekend, but based on new assessments on Monday, only two helicopters from Jordan were finally dispatched.

Firefighting crews worked through the night on Sunday and by daybreak on Monday, all active fronts had been extinguished, the fire service said.

Gregoriou confirmed by Monday afternoon there were no longer any active fire fronts, though firefighting teams remained in place to deal with possible flare-ups.

He described the fire as very difficult and said the resurgences overnight were made worse by strong winds, rough terrain and limited access preventing firefighters from tackling the flames directly.

He said he had been at the coordination centre in Stroumbi on Sunday as the fire’s risk level was being assessed.

The fire was initially expected to be contained on Sunday afternoon, but it spread, requiring renewed coordination.

Excavators and chainsaws were used overnight to create fire breaks towards Kili to prevent the fire from reaching the community.

Kettis said the blaze had burned approximately 75 hectares.

Teams from the fire service and forestry department operated in the area, assisted by a drone equipped with a thermal camera to locate and extinguish remaining fires. Some small fires continued in ravines.

Three firefighting planes and a helicopter rejoined efforts early on Monday morning.

Gregoriou described Sunday as a “difficult” day, with high temperatures and drought contributing to a series of fires.

Other fires were reported in Pachna, between Kathikas and Akoursou, and in the Drousia area.

He said firefighting helicopters normally operate from April to late October, making late-November fires highly unusual.