Firefighters brought three separate wildfires under control across Cyprus on Thursday, including a blaze in the United Nations buffer zone near Kokkinotrimithia that required an operation conducted under UN escort.
The most serious fire broke out in the buffer zone near an abandoned shoe factory in Kokkinotrimithia, west of Nicosia. The operation involved four fire engines from the Fire Service, two vehicles from volunteer groups Atlas and Support Cy, and a United Nations water tanker.
Fire Service spokesperson Andreas Kettis said the firefighting effort was carried out under UN escort, while a firefighting aircraft already patrolling the area was deployed in coordination with the United Nations.
The fire burned around 5,000 square metres of wild vegetation, discarded materials and wooden pallets. Two large disused liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanks near the site were cooled as a precaution to prevent any escalation of the incident.
Earlier in the day, a separate wildfire broke out behind the Deryneia amphitheatre in the Famagusta district, burning approximately 3,000 square metres of acacia trees, crops and dry vegetation. Four fire engines and vehicles from the Forestry Department were deployed to contain the blaze.
In a third incident, firefighters extinguished a fire that burned around 1,000 square metres of wild vegetation in Livadia, near Larnaca. Two fire engines prevented the flames from spreading to nearby homes.
Authorities said all three fires were brought under control following coordinated ground and aerial operations.
The causes of the fires remain under investigation, although the Fire Service said there is a strong possibility they were linked to accumulations of discarded materials.
Σημαντικές ανταποκρίσεις της Πυροσβεστικής Υπηρεσίας στην Ύπαιθρο αλλά και εντός κατοικημένων περιοχών μέχρι τώρα:
— Andreas Kettis (@akettis) July 17, 2026
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11:37 Πυρκαγιά σε ακακίες, σπαρτά και άγρια βλάστηση περίπου τριών δεκαριών, πίσω από το αμφιθέατρό Δερύνειας. Ανταποκρίθηκαν και εργάζονται τέσσερα… pic.twitter.com/KCmRS841OB
