Fire burns nine donums of mountain pines

A FOREST fire broke out at 5.30am yesterday morning between Platres and Pera Pedi, near the water reservoir.

According to the Forestry Department’s senior conservator, George Pattihis, the fire “is thought to have started near a creek at the bottom of a valley. The exact cause is not yet known, with the police investigating how it started.”

The blaze was brought under control just over two hours later using five fire engines from the Forestry Department, four from the Fire Services, two helicopters and over 50 people.

According to Pattihis, “the fire burnt nine donums of abandoned, private land covered by young pine trees. It will take between 25 and 30 years for the trees to grow back, with a pine tree needing up to 90 years to reach its full size.”

Thankfully, no homes were damaged, with no injuries reported.

The senior conservator of forests urged people to be careful “in order to try and control the amount of fires that are breaking out nearly every day at the moment.
“According to the law, it is forbidden to light fires in rural areas and particular attention must be paid when dealing with cigarette ends and other burning materials.”

Last week, an astonishing 52 fires were seen over a 48-hour period across the island, with the high number attributed to the unseasonably high temperatures.

According to the Fire Services, the official fire season runs from May to October, with an average of 6,000 fires breaking out annually.

Ninety per cent of blazes are attributed to human carelessness.

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