Filenews 27 May 2023 - by Dora Christodoulou
After a superhuman four-hour effort of nine aircraft and dozens of ground crews of the Fire Brigade, the Police, the Department of Forests, Thira, the Civil Defense and the community authorities of the area, the large fire on the Akamas peninsula was brought under full control at eight in the evening.
The fire was successfully dealt with before entering even deeper into forest land and gorges of unique natural beauty, causing however significant damage to a small part of the Dense Forest, between Pegeia and Kathikas, as well as to another area with dense vegetation. The intense efforts of the firefighting crews paid off a house and two livestock farms in the wider area of Kathias that were in immediate danger from the fiery tongues.
In order to extinguish the largest fire we have had so far in the district of Pafos in 2023, a total of nine aircraft were worked, the Icarus Plan was activated, while almost all the firefighting forces of the Pafos district were mobilized.
The Minister of Agriculture and the Environment was also in the area for hours, supervising closely the titanic work of controlling the fire front. Mr. Xenophontos congratulated the members of the firefighting crews for their superhuman effort to bring the fire under control in time before the disaster grew.
From the very first examinations of the competent authorities, it appears that this fire is also due to the human factor, since everything indicates that it broke out from a point next to the road passing through the Dense Forest.
Investigations into the causes will be intensified at first light tomorrow.
