Lofou fire under control

The fire service said on Monday it had brought under control a blaze in the Lofou area of Limassol that burned 1.5 square kilometres of wild scrub, carob, olive, and pine trees.

Some 25 fire trucks, including vehicles from the game fund and the forestry department, were fighting the blaze on two fronts on Sunday but were hampered by strong winds. The fire broke out at around 1.30pm and was eventually put under control in the evening.

As evening fell, firemen had to rescue three hunters who were traveling in two vehicles and were trapped in a gorge surrounded by fire.

Two hunters were rescued by personnel from the Republic and the third by a firefighter from the British bases and was taken to hospital with breathing problems. The hunter’s car was destroyed by the fire.

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.