A 38-year-old man was arrested on Saturday after a fire he started in his garden spread out of control, burning around 25 acres of land in occupied Kythrea.

As reported by Kibris Postasi, the blaze broke out at around 11am after the man set fire to a pile of dry grass without taking adequate safety precautions.

According to the police, the fire spread from the man’s garden into a nearby stream bed, damaging dry grass, scrubland, reeds and olive trees.

The blaze was eventually brought under control following a large-scale response involving police, fire crews, military personnel and local residents who joined the effort.

Police confirmed the fire has now been extinguished, although cooling operations remain underway in the affected area to prevent it reigniting.