A large fire that broke out on Saturday afternoon in the Efkali area of Pyrga, in the Larnaca district, has been brought under partial control, with authorities saying that the immediate and coordinated response of firefighting forces prevented a far worse outcome.
The blaze burned through pine trees, wild vegetation, reed beds and cultivated land with cereal crops. Yards of houses that had not been cleared of dry grass and wild vegetation were also affected.
Major incident declared
The Department of Forests was placed on alert immediately after receiving information about the fire, with its Spokesperson, Glafkos Kyriakou, describing it as a major incident. The Department activated its Astrapi emergency plan in response.
A total of 22 fire engines took part in the large-scale firefighting operation, supported by aircraft of the Department of Forests carrying out water drops. The assistance of the Fire Service was also requested.
Homes threatened
Although the flames threatened residential properties, the timely mobilisation of ground and aerial forces prevented the fire from spreading further, and the situation is now under partial control.
Fire Service support
In a post on the platform X, Fire Service Spokesperson Andreas Kattis said that the fire in the Pyrga area falls under the operational responsibility of the Department of Forests. He noted that the Fire Service is supporting the firefighting effort with four crewed fire engines from fire stations in Larnaca and Nicosia.
Strong ground forces of the Fire Service, the Department of Forests and volunteer groups remain at the scene.
