Firefighters protect homes in Polemi, blaze under control but authorities on alert for flare-ups

Firefighters in Paphos safeguarded homes from a fire that broke out on Friday near the community of Polemi in Paphos.

According to the Cyprus News Agency (Cna), local’s homes were saved thanks to the immediate intervention by the fire brigade, meanwhile, firefighters remain on alert in case of any flare-ups due to strong winds.

Meanwhile, authorities said the fire is manageable and there are no active fronts.

Fire brigade spokesman Andreas Kettis, in a post on Twitter, said that the fire broke out near a residential area, but the houses were protected due to the immediate intervention of the firefighting forces.

“A patrolling aircraft made the first drop, while the fire stations of the city and district of Paphos responded with five fire trucks to extinguish the fire,” Kettis said.

He noted that three firefighting aircraft, two helicopters and one aircraft were activated.

He said that ground forces are being reinforced with a fire truck and nine people from the forestry department. The island’s game reserve also assisted in the extinguishing work with two portable fire brigades.

Kettis said the fire is manageable and there are no active fronts, with firefighting forces securing the perimeter and doing the final extinguishing.

However, Kettis noted that strong winds have meant that the fire brigade is on alert for flare-ups.

The fire burned a total area of four hectares of dry grass and wild vegetation. The causes will be investigated in cooperation with the police.