The fire in the foothills of the Limassol mountains is completely under control and has no active front though firefighting forces remain vigilant in the area on Tuesday.
Police and fire service drones were deployed overnight and ground services are ready to intervene to tackle flare-ups early in the morning with aerial means if needed.
On Monday there were significant flare-ups near Apaisia, which were dealt with by both ground and air forces.
The fire zone was surrounded and services are set to remain in the area as long as necessary.
In her statements from the coordination centre in Paramytha on Monday night, Minister of Justice Anna Procopiou said, “We are at the end of a very difficult day.”
“A lot of man hours have been invested by all the forces operating in the area here. This effort will continue, although today we managed to contain the fire. There are outbreaks that cause concern about a resurgence, thats why we will have flights tomorrow […] for preventive reasons and all other forces will also remain on the ground,” she said.
Procopiou praised the self-sacrifice of all who had protected human lives, villages and properties and the coordination of the authorities.
“From the first moment of the rekindling of the fire in Alassa, all the [FIRE] suppression forces and the state services, the fire service, the forestry department, the game service, the civil defence, [WORKED] together with forces from the British bases and organised volunteer groups, who we want to thank especially. They are working intensively…dealing with the […] constant flare-ups.”
The justice minister also highlighted the role of the auxiliary services saying a holistic response would not have been possible without them.
“I refer to the welfare services, the ambulance service, the district administrations, as well as the community councils and municipalities, who have actively contributed [TO] extinguish the fire but also to repair the damage, providing all the necessary assistance to the residents of the affected areas,” she said.
Procopiou went on to note that the electricity authority had responded promptly to immediately restore power to most of the affected areas, and further thanked the police and the national guard.
“All this was and is being done under the guidance of the President, who is constantly informed. [HIS] international contacts have ensured significant assistance from our neighbouring states,” Procopiou stated referring to the aerial firefighting support made available and on stand-by from Greece, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel.
Support from the European RescEU mechanism was activated at the request of the civil defence and the minister of foreign affairs secured assistance from the third country states.
The justice minister also credited the general director of the agriculture ministry, in his newly-created role as coordinator role of fire prevention and management, for the successful control of the Limassol fire.
The decision by the council of ministers at the start of the summer to establish this role has proven to be “an important pillar of crisis management” Procopiou said.
“I want to say that everyone exceeded the limits of their endurance and I think that thanks must be expressed publicly to all of them,” the minister concluded.
Asked if Tuesday would will be a better day, the minister said: “We hope so.”
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