Cyprus’ Fire Service responded to 382 incidents over a 24-hour period on Saturday as severe weather affected the island, including hundreds of calls in Nicosia district and a rescue operation off Cape Greco.
According to Fire Service spokesperson Andreas Kettis, the Nicosia fire stations dealt with 319 incidents linked to the extreme weather. These included clearing storm-water drains, protecting property, moving debris, pumping water from basements and homes, dealing with fallen or displaced trees, towing stranded vehicles, removing objects blown down by strong winds and responding to sparking electrical cables.
The response involved the Police, Nicosia district authority teams, municipalities and communities, Civil Defence crews, the Forestry Department, Public Works Department, Electricity Authority of Cyprus teams and organised volunteer groups.
Fire stations in Limassol responded to eight weather-related incidents, including flooding in basements and homes, fallen trees and sparking cables.
In Larnaca, crews attended 12 incidents involving water pumping, fallen or displaced trees and property protection, while Paphos stations responded to five incidents involving trees and sparking cables.
In Famagusta, firefighters dealt with four incidents involving water pumping, a lightning-related fire at a property and sparking cables.
The Emergency Response Unit also attended three incidents involving fallen or displaced trees in Kornos, Alamino and Mosfiloti.
Rescue operation off Cape Greco
At 4.54pm on Saturday, the Fire Service was called by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre to assist with a search operation in the sea off Agioi Anargyroi at Cape Greco, in Famagusta district.
The call followed reports that a person had gone missing during rough seas and was believed to have sought shelter among rocks.
The person was located by a helicopter activated by the rescue coordination centre and was subsequently recovered by rescuers before being taken to the emergency department of Famagusta General Hospital.
The Fire Service and its Emergency Response Unit both attended the incident.
Several fires reported across the island
The Fire Service also responded to a number of fires during the day.
At 9.52am, crews were called to a fire involving two metal structures adjoining a ground-floor private home in Avgorou, Famagusta district. The structures contained tools, machinery and vehicle batteries. Three fire engines attended and the fire was attributed to a lightning strike.
At 11.22am, firefighters responded to a fire in an outdoor area of a factory in Kokkinotrimithia, where old vehicles, discarded electrical equipment and building materials were stored. Six fire engines attended and crews prevented the fire from spreading to the building, nearby properties and private vehicles. The cause is under investigation, although a lightning strike has not been ruled out.
At 1.27pm, a fire broke out in an auxiliary residence adjoining the garage of a main house in Pera Orinis. The contents of the auxiliary building, including household equipment, clothing and cooking utensils, were destroyed. Two fire engines attended and part of the roof was dismantled to extinguish the fire. Investigators are examining the cause, with a short circuit in a freezer among the possibilities.
At 4.50pm, the Fire Service assisted the Forestry Department in tackling a fire involving dry grass and wild vegetation near Androlikou in Paphos district.
Road crash also requires rescue response
At 5.55pm, the Fire Service attended a road collision on the Limassol-Platres road near Alassa, where two private vehicles were involved in a side-on collision.
One person was trapped in one of the vehicles and was freed using rescue equipment before being handed over to ambulance crews for transport to Limassol General Hospital’s emergency department.
Later, at 8.35pm, firefighters responded to a fire involving a private vehicle parked at a supermarket car park in Lakatamia. The fire damaged the rear seat and was attributed to an electrical problem involving the vehicle’s battery.
At 11.32pm, crews attended a small fire involving discarded materials in the kitchen of a home in the Archangelos Michail refugee housing estate in Lakatamia. The fire caused minor damage and was believed to have started after discarded materials came into contact with a cooking hob.
Fire Service records 576 incidents during the week
The Fire Service said that, over the previous 24 hours, 21 of the 382 incidents it attended involved fires, while 359 were classified as special services and two were false alarms.
Over the course of the week, the service responded to 576 incidents. These included 51 urban fires, 41 wildfires, two road collisions, 22 rescue operations, 431 calls involving assistance to members of the public and 29 false alarms.
Meanwhile, the Police said on Sunday morning that there were no significant problems on the main roads.
However, rock and earth falls have been reported on the Kampou-Lefka road following heavy rainfall over the previous 24 hours. Local authority crews are working to clear the road.
Police have urged motorists to exercise caution, follow the Highway Code and obey traffic signs to reduce the risk of road collisions.
Source: CNA
