Cyprus Mail 27 June 2021 - by Katy Turner
Three houses were destroyed and four damaged by the fire in Tala on Saturday, officials said on Sunday as estimates of damage began after instructions given by Interior Minister Nicos Nouris, Paphos District Officer Mary Lambrou said.
She said that one car was also destroyed by the flames.
The people living in the destroyed homes have been temporarily taken to hotels, she added.
“Yesterday was an extremely difficult day on the fire front,” the interior ministry said in a statement, referring to the fire in Kamares as “catastrophic”.
It said the fire was put out as a result of “a coordinated effort by all the services of the Republic under adverse conditions due to the inaccessible soil and harsh weather conditions”.
A team of officers from the technical services of Paphos district office will record damages to buildings and property in the area based on the instructions given by the interior ministry.
A similar evaluation is set to start from Monday to assess the damage to vegetation.
Leader of the Tala community council Areti Pieridou said she was thankful that “in this catastrophe we did not mourn human lives”.
In a written statement, Fire Service spokesman Andreas Kettis said the efforts of firemen on Saturday to put out the blaze were painful.
Assistant police chief of Paphos Nicos Tsapis said the fire was the result of a short circuit of aerial cables.
Preliminary examinations show that the fire started from sparks from electricity cables that fell to the ground. High winds in the area at the time caused the cables to touch each other.
The fire was brought under control at about 8pm on Saturday and burnt wild plants, damaging some vehicles and homes according to Kettis. He said that two square kilometres of plants and trees had burned, in addition to some wheat fields.
The fire also damaged electricity poles.
He said fire officials remained on site throughout the night to make sure the fire did not restart.
The fire broke out shortly before 3pm on Saturday afternoon and was brought under control with the help of seven aircraft from the forestry department and the government plus two from the British Bases in addition to fire engines from Paphos, Limassol and Larnaca.
With a yellow weather warning in place until 5pm on Sunday the chance of forest fires breaking out through the day is said to be high.
Filenews 27 June 2021
Yesterday's fire front was extremely difficult, the Ministry of the Interior announced, adding that after the successful response to the fire in Arakapas, the devastating fire between Talas and Koili occurred in Paphos Province. It also says that there will be an immediate recording and assessment of the damage.
As mentioned, after a concerted effort of all the Services of the Republic and under adverse conditions due to the rough terrain and weather conditions it was initially possible to check in the late afternoon and then to extinguish it.
The Ministry of the Interior thanks the fire service, the Department of Forestry, the British Bases for the granting of additional flying resources, the Civil Defence, the Guard, all the volunteers, the Community Authority and the Paphos Provincial Administration for their readiness and determination. He said that his thoughts were with all those affected in the area of Kamares where the fire entered the courtyards of houses, destroying almost completely two of them. He was relieved that there had been no fatalities or injuries given the severity of the fire.
As of today, the Ministry of the Interior continues in its announcement, the Paphos Provincial Administration proceeds to the immediate recording and assessment of damage to residential premises. Something similar will happen with the other relevant Ministries with regard to agricultural land, in order to support the residents and professionals who have suffered damage, concludes the Ministry of the Interior.
