Two helicopters from Jordan were expected to arrive to Cyprus on Monday morning to assist in efforts to put out a wildfire that broke out in the Paphos district on Sunday, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Andreas Gregoriou, told CNA, noting that the fire has now been fully contained.
He described the wildfire in the Koili and Stroumbi villages in the Paphos district as a ‘very difficult’ one, noting that flare-ups continued throughout the night. Due to strong winds, the area’s terrain and its inaccessibility, firefighters were unable to operate at close range.
Although the blaze was expected to be brought under control on Sunday afternoon, a change in wind direction caused it to spread further, he added, noting that the fire was brought under partial control at around 21:30, with firefighting forces remaining on site for monitoring.
According to Gregoriou, following a risk assessment, it was decided to request additional aerial support from Greece, Jordan and Israel, but that, after the morning assessment, it was decided that not all of them were needed, and only the two Jordanian helicopters were called in.
He said that according to information from the Deputy Fire Service Chief and the Operations Director, the fire has now been fully contained.
Gregoriou described Sunday as a ‘difficult’ day, as high temperatures and dry weather conditions led to several large fires.
Asked whether the firefighting helicopters, the services of which Cyprus was leasing for the fire season, had been released from duty, Gregoriou replied in the affirmative, noting that no one expected wildfires to break out in late November. These helicopters, he added, normally operate between April and October.