Australian firefighting aircrafts have been dispatched to Cyprus to assist with wildfires that broke out on Paphos on Tuesday, June 11.
Cyprus’ Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou first confirmed on Tuesday, June 4 that four planes would be arriving from Australia to help the island fight wildfires. Two have now been dispatched to Paphos.
According to KNEWS, a fire that broke out around 12:39pm on Tuesday afternoon between the communities of Psathi and Polemi on Paphos is still uncontrollable, and has now spread to the communities of Kourtaka, Lemona, and Choulou due to strong winds and rugged terrain.
“There are several active fronts, and we are trying to establish firebreaks. Ground forces will be operating during the night to contain the fire,” said Fire Service Spokesman, Andreas Kettis.
Due to the radical nature of the fire, the National Fire Plan was activated, and the relevant Ministerial Committee was mobilised, including the Ministers of Justice, Agriculture, and Defence, including Fire Chief Nikos Longinos, Chief of Police Stelios Papatheodorou, and Forestry Department Director Savvas Iezekiel, as reported by KNEWS.
Police have closed roads, recalled workers, and missing people from a livestock refuge in the vicinity have contacted authorities to say they are in good condition.
The origin of the fire has been linked to illegal waste dumping, a recurring issue in the region.
Source: KNEWS
