Fire tragedy averted

A FIRE that broke out in a five-storey apartment building in the Nicosia suburb of Engomi on Thursday night nearly ended in tragedy as three residents became trapped on the fifth floor.

The fire services arrived in time to extinguish the fire, which started on the second floor, before it reached the top floor.

The three residents – a wheelchair-bound woman, her husband and an elderly person – were finally rescued from their flats unharmed while firemen extinguished the flames.

The blaze began in the apartment of a 29-year-old woman, who was inside when it started and was later taken to Nicosia General Hospital for treatment.

Her flat, as well as the one directly above her, were completely destroyed.

Ayios Dometios police are investigating the case.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.