The wildfire that broke out on Sunday afternoon between the villages of Tsada and Koili is now close to being brought under control, according to the fire service spokesman Andreas Kettis.
In a post on X, the spokesman said that the situation has improved and the blaze is “close to containment.” He noted that the firefighting effort was coordinated from the outset by the Paphos assistant district officer, with the director of operations now also on site.
At the peak of operations, 13 aircraft were placed on standby and nine were deployed, while ground forces from across Cyprus remain engaged.
The full number of forces involved will be announced later, he added.
Kettis also said that the defence, agriculture and transport ministers had gone to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) to monitor developments.
Meanwhile, police announced that the main Paphos–Polis Chrysochous road, which was closed around 4.30pm due to the fire, has now reopened.
However, the road leading to the village of Koili remains closed.
Earlier, the civil defence carried out a partial and precautionary evacuation of 25 homes in Tsada, its spokesman Panayiotis Liasis said.
No evacuations were deemed necessary in the nearby village of Koili.
Liasis added that 25 civil defence officers were assisting in the firefighting effort, with 23 deployed at the scene, one at the coordination centre, and one at Paphos police station.
Although some houses came under threat, damage was prevented and the situation is now “somewhat improved,” he noted.
Likewise, the head of the forestry department, Savvas Iezekiel, told CNA that “we are heading towards putting out the fire and we are on the right track,” noting that a large number of his department’s firefighting forces are assisting in the operation.
The blaze, he said, has been burning through shrubland and wild vegetation.
The blaze, which started at 3.24pm in a streambed beginning in Tremithousa and stretching between Tsada and Koili, spread within minutes due to dry vegetation and strong winds.
According to Tsada community leader Marios Ioannou, the fire advanced so quickly that “within five minutes it was approaching houses,”
Firefighters and civil defence crews had to evacuate one resident who initially refused to leave his home. “Thanks to the immediate response of the fire brigade, the worst was averted,” Ioannou told the Cyprus News Agency, noting that neither the man nor his property suffered damage.
The president of the Koili community council, Michalakis Efthymiou, said the fire reached the area between Tsada and Koili, with flames coming dangerously close to the church at Melissovouno.
“The swift intervention of ground and aerial forces prevented disaster,” he said, adding that while an evacuation of Koili was considered, it was not carried out after authorities ascertained that local homes were not under direct threat.
Local Paphos firefighting forces were heavily reinforced by units from Larnaca, Limassol as well as Nicosia. The forestry department, civil defence, the game and fauna service and several volunteer groups also joined the effort.
Aircraft operating under the national ‘Icarus 2’ plan were deployed, while fire chief Nikos Longinos headed to the JRCC as the national wildfire plan ‘Pyrsos’ was activated, requiring immediate coordination among all competent bodies.
The blaze burned through dry grass and wild vegetation in a rugged area, making firefighting efforts particularly challenging.
The cause of the fire will be investigated once it has been fully extinguished.