In his post on X, he said that many ground forces have been mobilized and the Icarus II plan has been put in place with a total of seven aircraft, including a coordination helicopter.
Immediate response by all officials, says Spokesperson
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Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis, who visited the Coordination Centre in Agios Dimitrianos, expressed his satisfaction that the fire in Yolou was brought under control before reaching the residential area.
He added that there was an immediate response by all officials and congratulated them for their efforts, also with the assistance of the residents. He also said that unfortunately the possibility of arson needs to be considered.
Plan to purchase privately owned aircraft in place, says Panayiotou
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There is a specific plan for the purchase of privately owned aircraft, so as not to depend on third parties, and to upgrade the firefighting aircraft unit, treating the whole issue as a matter of national security, Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou said after the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
In her statements to the press, Panayiotou said that the fire that broke out in Paphos yesterday was discussed at the Cabinet and an update on the current situation was provided.
She added that water drops have started since this morning from two of the four planes that have arrived on the island and have been hired, along with the Forestry Department’s plane.
Then the two Canadairs which have come in through RescEU have also been brought in. At that time, she noted, there were no active fronts, the Canadairs were still operating, and the ground forces were following through.
The Minister also said she would visit the site with officials and the Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture, as well as the Director of Veterinary Services to survey the initial damage and to talk to those affected.
Those affected in the fire will be compensated by the state, says Interior Minister
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Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou assured that citizens affected by the fire in the Paphos District will be compensated by the state, noting that 49 citizens from the affected communities were accommodated in a Paphos hotel, thanks to the coordinated actions of the Paphos District Administration and the Civil Defence.
In a statement after today’s Cabinet meeting, Ioannou said that an assessment of the situation of the houses after the restoration of electricity is being carried out, so as to decide who can return to their homes and who cannot, while the rest will continue to be accommodated.
The Minister added that, as of this morning, crews from the District Administration were on the ground to record and assess the damage. So far, he noted, 14 houses have been affected, of which two have been completely destroyed.
Paphos District Administration crews in the affected communities
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Paphos District Administration crews are visiting the fire-affected communities to record the damage, in the presence of the Deputy District Officer of Paphos, George Chrysafinis.
In a statement at the Agios Demetrianos community, Chrysafinis said that the damage in Psathi, where the fire passed through, has already been recorded.
“A total of 14 houses have been recorded of which 2 have been completely destroyed. Also, 4 individual houses in Polemi have been affected, 2 of which have been completely destroyed. A photovoltaic park, I would say small to medium size, has also been destroyed in Polemi,” he added.
At the moment, he continued, “our crews are in Hulu, where two houses have been affected.”
“But we will have the exact picture in a short while when the crews have also proceeded to a detailed survey of the damage,” he added.
Poles, transformers and cables burnt by fire, says EAC spokesperson
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Fifty poles, three transformers and several cables of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus have been destroyed by the fire that has been raging since yesterday in Paphos district, EAC spokeswoman Christina Papadopoulou told CNA, indicating at the same time that the EAC transferred generators to the area, restoring supply to almost all 17 villages, where the electricity supply from the Authority’s network had been cut off since yesterday afternoon, with the exception of Houlou village and some areas of Polemi and Psathi villages, due to difficulties experienced by the crews.
Two firefighting aircraft from Greece to Cyprus through the EU mechanism
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Greece has sent two firefighting aircraft to fight forest fires in the Paphos area, following a request for assistance from Cyprus through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
According to a statement from the European Commission Representation in Cyprus, this is the first use of the Mechanism during this year’s forest fire season.
As stated, in total, as part of the preparation measures for the forest fire season, the EU has a fleet of 32 airborne fire-fighting aircraft and 556 fire-fighters ready to be deployed across Europe. In addition, the EU is currently supporting eight forest fire prevention projects, thus strengthening national forest fire resilience capacities.
