Limassol-Nicosia highway fire now under control (Update 2)

A fire raging just off the Nicosia-Limassol highway, close to Kakoratzia, was brought under full control early Sunday evening after almost six hours of battling the flames.

The severity of the fire caused the sections of the highway to be closed for around four hours until the fire was brought under partial control.

The blaze was one of five fires which broke out around the island, two in the Ayia Napa region, one in Chlorakas and one in Kormakitis in the north.

According to forestry department chief Charalambos Alexandrou, the fire close to Kakoratzia began as a result of a car accident on the highway earlier in the morning.

Sparks from the crash caused the flames to begin to the left of the highway at around 11am but due to the strength of the fire and the force of the wind, it moved to the right side of the highway.

“The fire is difficult as we had to deal with two outbreaks. The fire on the right side was moving towards the forest with wind being our enemy.”

Around 40 hectares of state forest in Kornos were burned. A total of 100 members of the forestry department were at the scene battling the flames with 18 vehicles and 17 members of the fire services with six vehicles – three bulldozers and tractors. A number of volunteers also helped.

An aircraft from the forestry department and two helicopters, one from police and one of the national guard were involved in the operation.

The fire was put under control at 4:30pm, the forestry department said, adding that members of the department will stay on the scene overnight in case there is a resurgence.

The smoke caused visibility issues prompting police to close off a section of the highway from Skarinou until Kornos.

Once the flames were placed under partial control shortly before 3pm, the highway was subsequently reopened.

Earlier this week, the forestry department issued a red alert for forest fires after the met office warned of extreme high temperatures over the weekend.

 

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.