Pafos Press 11 July 2024
The fire that broke out in the early afternoon in the community of Miliou and spread to the community of Simou was brought under control a little while ago, says the press representative of the Fire Service, Andreas Kettis, in his post on "X". The fire burned a total area of about 50 hectares of dry grasses, wild vegetation and trees. According to Mr. Ketti, ground firefighting forces will remain in the area and will work throughout the night for final extinguishing and containment of the fire with the assistance of earth movers.
It should be noted that earlier, although the Civil Defense had been put on alert to evacuate the communities of Simos and Drymos, if necessary, fortunately it was not deemed necessary due to the outcome of the situation. According to the Fire Department, all that was needed was to evacuate two residences aforementioned communities for precautionary reasons.
The fire started from a point on the Giolos-Polis Chrysochous road at the height of the Giolos community and it did not take long to spread, resulting in the deployment of aerial and ground firefighting means. In the battle with the flames, according to the Fire Service, five aerial vehicles, four airplanes and a helicopter as well as dozens of fire engines of the Fire Service and the Forestry Department were thrown.
The fire burned a large area of trees, grass and wild vegetation, but the total damage has not yet been calculated. It should be noted that the electricity supply network of the region also suffered damage and as a result, as reported by the EAC in its announcement, power outages were recorded in the areas of Argaka, Yolou, Goudi, Latsi area, Municipality of Polis Chrysochous and Pomos.
The fire is thought to have been started by a cigarette butt being thrown from a passing vehicle.
