The forest fire that broke out yesterday in Paphos District was still raging on Wednesday afternoon, with Fire Service Spokesperson Andreas Kettis reporting reignitions in the area between the communities of Polemi and Kourdakas later during the day.
In his post on X, he said that many ground forces have been mobilized and the Icarus II plan has been put in place with a total of seven aircraft, including a coordination helicopter.
Immediate response by all officials, says Spokesperson
—————————————————————————————————————-
Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis, who visited the Coordination Centre in Agios Dimitrianos, expressed his satisfaction that the fire in Yolou was brought under control before reaching the residential area.
He added that there was an immediate response by all officials and congratulated them for their efforts, also with the assistance of the residents. He also said that unfortunately the possibility of arson needs to be considered.
Plan to purchase privately owned aircraft in place, says Panayiotou
—————————————————————————————————————-
There is a specific plan for the purchase of privately owned aircraft, so as not to depend on third parties, and to upgrade the firefighting aircraft unit, treating the whole issue as a matter of national security, Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou said after the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
In her statements to the press, Panayiotou said that the fire that broke out in Paphos yesterday was discussed at the Cabinet and an update on the current situation was provided.
She added that water drops have started since this morning from two of the four planes that have arrived on the island and have been hired, along with the Forestry Department’s plane.
Then the two Canadairs which have come in through RescEU have also been brought in. At that time, she noted, there were no active fronts, the Canadairs were still operating, and the ground forces were following through.
Two firefighting aircraft from Greece to Cyprus through the EU mechanism
—————————————————————————————————————-
Greece has sent two firefighting aircraft to fight forest fires in the Paphos area, following a request for assistance from Cyprus through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
According to a statement from the European Commission Representation in Cyprus, this is the first use of the Mechanism during this year’s forest fire season.
