A major wildfire is raging in agricultural land between the communities of Koili and Stroumbi in the Paphos district. The fire broke out for reasons still unknown but is spreading very quickly due to strong winds blowing today, prompting an intense mobilisation of firefighting forces.
Fire engines from Paphos and rural stations have rushed to the scene and are operating, along with Department of Forests forces and community authority crews.
Firefighting forces are being continuously reinforced from all districts, whilst three aircraft (two planes and a Civil Defence helicopter) stopped operating in the last hour after making water drops during the day.
According to the Fire Service, the fire is developing in a river gorge with very difficult access for ground forces. Civil Defence and police have been notified to be on standby for possible evacuation of the communities of Koili and Stroumbi.
According to a more recent update from the Fire Service spokesperson Andreas Kettis, a forward control centre has also been set up in Stroumbi community square. The Fire Service, Department of Forests, Civil Defence, army, police and all relevant services are based there.
According to Kettis, there is an active front after a flare-up heading west towards the northwest.
Many firefighting forces are being sent there, he said. Limassol district deputy chief fire officer S. Nestoros is on site managing the fire, and director of operations chief fire officer A. Christofi is also heading there.
The fire is burning areas with dry grass, wild vegetation and trees across an area of one square kilometre.
In recent hours what is hampering firefighting efforts are the strong winds blowing in the area. The front between Koili and Akoursos is raging out of control.
According to the head of the control centre, Paphos Fire Service district officer Stelios Nestoros, a smaller fire is simultaneously in progress in the Turkish Cypriot village of Pitargou, which, according to estimates, is expected to be brought under control soon.
Meanwhile, Andreas Gregoriou, director general of the Agriculture Ministry, arrived at the control centre that was set up shortly after 7pm, and will subsequently travel to the fire front.
As he told Philenews, there is a large front in the area, and it was deemed necessary to go on site to assess the extent of the danger with the aim of deciding any actions that need to be taken during the night or tomorrow if deemed necessary with additional forces.
Bulldozers fighting battle, difficult for fire engines to approach, says Koili community leader
Bulldozers are fighting a battle, but fire engines find it very difficult to approach the fire that has been raging from around 10:00 on Sunday morning until now between the communities of Koili and Stroumbi, according to Koili community leader Michalis Efthymiou.
In statements, Efthymiou said the fire has burnt cypress forests many years old, adding that the fire has broken out in an inaccessible area and that is why it is still raging uncontrolled. He stressed however that homes in the two communities are not at risk from it.
Efthymiou noted that there should have been more aircraft, which unfortunately there were not.
He also attributed the cause of the fires to human factors. Only someone on foot, he said characteristically, would have caused the fire since vehicles cannot approach that specific area.
He also described the outbreak of fires in November as an unprecedented phenomenon, adding however that temperatures were high today, Sunday as well.
