The fire in the Elitzies area of the Paphos forest has been contained, the forestry department announced early on Tuesday.
Three firefighting aircraft began spraying water and foam at the area before 6am and 20 hectares of pine forest and dense vegetation have been burned it was announced.
Head of the forestry department Charalambos Alexandrou attributed the cause of the fire to electricity cables running between Kambos and Stavros tis Psokas forestry stations, the CyBC reported.
On Tuesday morning firefighters were able to descend to what is believed to be the fire’s ‘point zero’ where they identified burned overhead cables.
A total length of 17-20 km of aerial cables exist in the area which can easily set fire even if a bird happens to just touch them, the forestry head told CyBC, adding he would prepare documented evidence for the case.
The forestry head said that the danger of overhead cables running through the area had been brought up repeatedly with the electricity authority (EAC) as well as the request to dismantle them, according to the state broadcaster.
Speaking on CyBC’s morning programme forestry press spokesman George Constantinou said the firefighters had given a “superhuman battle” overnight.
“If it hadn’t been for them and the lucky absence of wind, we would have been talking about a huge tragedy today,” Constantinou said.
Ground forces stayed overnight to battle the blaze which broke out at 6.30pm on Monday in a hard-to-access gorge north of Kykkos Monastery and Cedar Valley, as aerial units had to pause operations at nightfall due to lack of visibility.
“This was the most difficult fire we have had to cope with, certainly this year,” Constantinou said.
Forces mobilised rapidly on Monday evening as the forestry head sounded the alarm that if the fire was not brought under control a catastrophe was imminent.
Over one hundred firefighters with tens of vehicles rushed to the scene from all stations in the area, from Gialia to Stavros tis Psokas, as well as private vehicles which were directed to create firebreaks.
The total absence of wind overnight gave a window of opportunity for the firefighters to secure the perimeter and the blaze was reported as “manageable” shortly before 11pm.
The area where the fire started was early on assessed as extremely challenging, with few access roads and no firebreaks, in a gorge bordered by sheer rocky sides.
The area adjoins 60,000 hectares of forestlands and forces remain at the scene, as well as three aircraft pre-emptively spraying to guard against flare-ups.
In statements to journalists on Monday night, Bishop Nikiforos of Kykkos, who arrived at the scene from the nearby monastery, said the timely intervention of the firefighting forces had “prevented the worst from happening” and expressed his relief and gratitude to the forces for averting the monastery’s evacuation.
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