A fire near the Kalo Chorio firing range has grown in size, prompting an order to evacuate the village of Agia Anna, according to an update.
The blaze broke out during live-fire training exercises by the National Guard. The Department of Forests and the Fire Service have been placed on alert, and firefighting forces in the area are being significantly reinforced.
At least two fire fronts are currently burning low vegetation. Four firefighting aircraft have been deployed, and the Department of Forests has sent six additional vehicles. Larnaca Police officers are also at the scene.
Crews are struggling to reach the source of the fire inside the firing range itself. Officials say the possible presence of unexploded ordnance, combined with difficult terrain, is making the operation extremely dangerous.
A Fire Service spokesperson said the fire is spreading beyond the boundaries of the firing range.
The fire has since spread to a house on the mountain near Kalo Chorio. The blaze is affecting the exterior of the property, and efforts are under way to extinguish it.
A huge mobilisation of volunteers with water tankers has been reported in Agia Anna.
A volunteer firefighter was injured after falling from a height while tackling the blaze. He was hurt in the legs and taken to hospital by ambulance.
Witnesses say they were told to ring church bells to warn residents of the fire. They said they had not received an alert message on their mobile phones.
National Guard sources confirmed to philenews that a National Guard unit was carrying out training activities at the Kalo Chorio range. According to what philenews was told, the fire broke out during the exercise, though its cause remains unknown.
