The landscape in fire-stricken areas of Limassol province resembles a bombed terrain, with burnt houses, uprooted trees and shattered lives. Yet from the ashes and debris, humanity and solidarity have emerged once again.
Organised groups, volunteers from across Cyprus and ordinary citizens dedicated their weekend to help affected communities, cleaning roads and areas around villages.
On Saturday morning, a group of young people and members of AEL and Apollon football clubs travelled to Vouni and helped residents clean the community. Citizens also provided generators to ensure electricity supply until power restoration.
Beyond Civil Defence and the Red Cross distributing essential supplies, organised groups and ordinary people also transported food to those affected by the deadly wildfire.
Due to the mobilisation of the public, all needs have been more than covered, resulting in no available storage space for additional items.
A similar scene unfolded in Lofou, where a group of 100 volunteers arrived on Sunday with necessary equipment and helped clean the village centre and northern area where the greatest damage occurred.
Lofou community leader Yiannis Neofytou, visibly moved, told philenews: “What we experienced from the volunteers these days cannot be described. Despite the fact that water was limited, a tremendous effort was made. We thank them from our hearts”.
Families who lost everything
Among the most tragic stories, that of Mr Nikos in Lofou stands out. A father of two children, he watched his home destroyed completely. As he reports, he became trapped with his family in the village, with no one able to help them escape the fiery hell. They were left without shelter, clothes and basic necessities.
In Koilani, the family of Mr Elias – a father of multiple children – is also trying to get back on its feet. “With a thousand deprivations, five years ago, we managed to build a small permanent residence for our family,” he says with tears.
Their house burnt completely. With it, memories, objects and dreams were lost. “We took a loan to build it… and now we’re starting again from zero,” he says, devastated.
However, humanity was not lost. Volunteers and fellow villagers stood by them, offering clothes, food and temporary shelter.
“Two small lorries full of clothes arrived within two days,” Mr Elias describes. The most touching moment came when the family’s eldest son, searching through the debris, found their baptismal crosses in the ashes.
Damage assessment continues – greatest destruction in Souni
Damage assessment continued throughout the weekend with 18 teams from the Provincial Administration. By yesterday, 237 residences had been recorded, with approximately half completely destroyed.
The greatest destruction is recorded in Souni with 95 residences, Agios Therapon with 35, Lofou with 24, and Vouni with 23. Many houses in Souni are luxury properties, whilst in other villages they are mainly old listed buildings.
Additionally, 124 cars and 49 other vehicles and structures (caravans, warehouses, etc.) were destroyed. The number is expected to increase, as many residences have not yet been declared.
The assessment will continue today with the aim of completion before Wednesday, according to the District Administration.
EAC mobilised for power restoration
The Electricity Authority of Cyprus is in full mobilisation, operating round the clock in fire-stricken areas of Limassol province to immediately restore the electricity network.
Network damage is enormous, with poles, cables and transformers completely destroyed in many communities.
However, EAC’s presence is intense and continuous, with dozens of crews working non-stop under extreme weather conditions, high temperatures and in dangerous, inaccessible areas.
Over the weekend alone, more than 170 employees—technicians, engineers, and operators—were deployed to burnt villages to contribute to electricity restoration.
EAC has established a special coordination centre in Vasa, operating as an operational hub for monitoring and directing every technical intervention.
Seven mobile generators have been installed and are operating in affected communities, providing temporary coverage of their energy needs until full network restoration.
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