The massive rural Limassol blaze, described as the biggest in the history of the Republic, has been put out, fire service spokesperson Andreas Kettis told public service broadcaster CyBC, but crews remain on red alert on scene, as flare ups might turn to fire fronts if winds pick up in affected areas.
‘Sorry we couldn’t be everywhere’, fire chief Nikos Logginos, an experienced officer with 35 years of service, told CyBC Limassol correspondent Sotiroula Christofidou, responding to criticism of locals that they were late in saving communities and rescuing residents. He once again rejected claims of delays in arriving at ground zero, the village of Mallia, where the fire broke out at noon Wednesday.
‘Our goal was to prevent the tragedy at Mati Attikis nine years ago, when more than 100 people perished in homes and cars’, the fire chief said, adding that it took valuable time away from battling flames to persuade locals to leave their homes and safely evacuate them.
Further on the situation on the fire fronts, Andreas Kettis said that minor flare ups this morning at Kyvides, Alassa, Omodos and Lofou were dealt with effectively with the fire perimeter, the outer boundary of the blaze having been clearly defined and now being closely monitored.
Ground forces will maintain strong presence across the zone of destruction both today and over the next few days. The Met Office prognosis is for strong winds this afternoon, force five to six, with a north eastern direction towards Troodos, a cause of concern for authorities.
Aerial support continues on the fire perimeter, securing that flare ups do not spread, creating another front. It includes helicopters from Jordan and Egypt. Two Israeli C-130s that threw fire retardant on the dangerous Omodos front on the foothills of Troodos, proved decisive in preventing the flames from spreading to the state forest last night.
The fire service spokesperson said on CyBC that crews did everything humanly possible to evacuate areas and save people under immediate danger. ‘We were literally pulling residents out of their homes and they refused’, Kettis added, expressing a sense of injustice and the feeling that their efforts have not been appreciated.
