The community of Agia Anna awoke on Tuesday to the smell of burning and a blackened landscape after a major wildfire scorched about 120 hectares, threatened residential areas and prompted a large-scale emergency operation in Larnaca district.
Firefighting crews remained in the area throughout the night, dealing with minor flare-ups, while an aircraft continued precautionary patrols over the affected zone. Authorities remained on heightened alert as winds were forecast to strengthen after 10 a.m.
Eleven fire engines, two water tankers and four tracked vehicles remained at the scene, monitoring the perimeter, extinguishing hot spots and reinforcing firebreaks.
The fire broke out at 12:40 p.m. on Monday at the Kalo Chorio firing range during an explosives disposal operation. Strong winds quickly drove the flames beyond the range towards Agia Anna.
The national Ikaros II emergency plan was activated and coordination centres were set up in Agia Anna and at the Zenon crisis management centre.
More than 220 firefighters, forestry personnel, Civil Defence members, National Guard personnel, police officers, volunteers and residents took part in the operation.
Six firefighting aircraft and five helicopters carried out repeated drops, while ground crews used fire engines, water tankers, tractors and tracked vehicles to create firebreaks and contain the blaze.
The most critical moment came when the flames approached the first homes in Agia Anna. Authorities ordered the precautionary evacuation of Agia Anna and later Psevdas, while church bells were rung to warn residents.
Civil Defence evacuated 21 elderly people and people with disabilities to a temporary reception centre in Mosfiloti. A young man who fell from a height while trying to help sustained a leg injury and was taken to Larnaca General Hospital.
The fire was brought under control shortly after 6:30 p.m. and declared fully under control at 7:30 p.m. No lives were lost and no homes were destroyed, although about 120 hectares of mainly low scrub and wild vegetation were burned.
The cause is under investigation, while an administrative inquiry has been ordered into the circumstances in which the fire broke out at the firing range. The incident has also renewed concerns over military activity during the fire season, the maintenance of firebreaks and the effectiveness of public warning systems.
Agia Anna community leader blames Defence Ministry, while wind shift saved nearby villages, Psevdas community leader says
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Agia Anna community leader Anastasis Georgiou blamed the Defence Ministry for the fire at the Kalo Chorio firing range and its spread towards the community, while Psevdas community leader Giorgos Filippou said a change in wind direction saved nearby villages.
Georgiou said the community was facing extensive environmental damage, although the efforts of firefighters, volunteers and residents had prevented the worst.
He said firebreaks in the area had not been cleared for several years, despite a letter sent by the community to the district administration, the Forestry Department and the Defence Ministry.
‘If they had been cleared, the fire could have been stopped,’ he said.
Georgiou added that the possible relocation of the firing range would be raised with other community councils in the area. He also called for those responsible for authorising activities at the range under the prevailing weather conditions to be held accountable.
Filippou told CNA that the situation was calm on Tuesday, with no further flare-ups and fire engines remaining on standby.
‘If the winds had not changed direction, we would have been facing a very different situation. The fire would have spread to the surrounding villages,’ he said.
He noted that Agia Anna and Psevdas adjoin one another and that residents of both communities own property in the affected area. Much of Psevdas was covered in smoke during the fire, but no homes were damaged.
Kalo Chorio community leader Flourentzos Theodorou told CNA that his community had not been threatened, as the fire started at the far end of the National Guard’s firing range and spread towards Agia Anna, away from the village.
He said no contact had yet been made with the National Guard or the Defence Ministry, but added that a meeting with the Defence Minister would be requested.
Dozens mobilised for safe evacuation of residents from Agia Anna, Civil Defence says
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Dozens of Civil Defence members and volunteers were mobilised under the Polyvios emergency plan to coordinate the evacuation of Agia Anna and Psevdas on Monday.
Civil Defence spokesperson Panayiotis Liasides told CNA on Tuesday that a technical problem caused a two-hour delay in sending the warning message through the CY-Alert early warning system during the wildfire. The cause is being investigated in cooperation with the contractor.
The service was informed at around 3 p.m. that a precautionary evacuation was needed and immediately activated the Polyvios plan.
The two community leaders were asked to alert residents through local communication channels, while first responders, liaison officers and the director of the Larnaca Civil Defence district office were sent to the area.
The operations team at Civil Defence headquarters was also activated, along with the Larnaca, Limassol and Nicosia district offices.
A total of 42 Civil Defence members and volunteers assisted with the evacuation and organised the temporary reception centre in Mosfiloti.
Civil Defence said the Polyvios plan had previously been updated in cooperation with local councils, based on conditions in each community, while evacuation exercises had been held in all districts.
It added that the CY-Alert malfunction was being investigated by the contractor’s technicians under the terms of the contract.