Authorities raised the alarm shortly after 5:00pm on Tuesday after a fire broke out in Stavrovouni forest.
The Forestry Department activated the “Astrapi” and “Hephaestus II” firefighting plans, deploying aircraft to help contain the blaze, according to department spokesman Glafkos Kyriakou.
Kyriakou said that as soon as they were informed of the fire, aircraft were sent up immediately and retardant was dropped to allow crews to approach and put it out. “We got it before the hard-to-reach area,” he said.
The Forestry Department is on red alert, Kyriakou said, meaning it is at maximum operational readiness, with all other work suspended to focus solely on firefighting response. Patrols by forestry staff have been increased, he said, and in addition to fire lookout posts, observation points are staffed with forestry officers and forest firefighters.
The fire started during work being carried out by a beekeeper, Kyriakou said, who is reported to have admitted this.
