The massive fire that swept through areas of Limassol district has caused extensive damage to the communities of Souni-Zanatzia and Lofou, with widespread destruction to homes and the natural environment.
Souni-Zanatzia community leader Nikos Vikis told state radio that the fire “completely destroyed the community”.
“A disaster; the fire burnt everything,” he said. According to Vikis, the blaze appeared suddenly and swept through the forest and houses. “Where we didn’t expect it, the fire came and burnt our forest along with the houses,” he emphasised.
Vikis said the village evacuation was carried out on their own initiative. “We evacuated the village ourselves, so many people. We asked for help but got nothing,” he noted.
He estimated that approximately 3,000 to 3,500 people were in the community and that panic prevailed, with no precise count yet of burnt residences. “The forest is lost, we are a burned village,” he stressed.
Regarding the situation in Lofou, community leader Giannis Neofytou said residents who had been trapped during the night were evacuated with police assistance, although they had temporarily returned to the community school due to a new fire front at Pera Pedi. In the morning, most returned to their homes.
Neofytou reported that approximately 20 houses burnt in Lofou, two of which were in the village centre. He described the scale of destruction, noting that “the road is full of stones and fallen electricity poles. Access to the village is not easy.”
He added that everything happened very quickly, whilst the fire front from Agios Therapon was visible.
The fire struck both communities with devastating speed, overwhelming local resources and forcing residents to organise their own evacuations before official assistance could arrive.
Firefighting and recovery efforts continue as authorities record the damage and assess the support needs of the affected communities. The extent of the destruction has left both villages facing a lengthy rebuilding process.
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