The Fire Service handled two serious incidents between 6 a.m. July 15 and 6 a.m. July 16, during which crews responded to 28 calls, including 11 fires, 16 special service requests and one false alarm, officials said.
At 2:30 p.m., firefighters were called to a blaze that broke out on the veranda of a second‑floor apartment in a two‑story complex in Protaras, Famagusta district. The fire spread to a ground‑floor unit. Occupants of the burning apartment were inside when the fire started and were helped out by a neighbor who entered through the main door and guided them to safety. Ambulance staff examined them at the scene.
A paraplegic resident in a nearby apartment was assisted out of the building by an off‑duty firefighter and a police officer before fire crews arrived. Three fire engines, a hydraulic platform and a breathing‑apparatus support vehicle were deployed. Firefighters also searched the building and rescued a dog trapped in the second‑floor apartment.
Both affected apartments sustained damage, and a neighboring balcony was also impacted. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
At 4:50 p.m., crews responded to a fire in dry grass and reeds along a riverbed between Chrysochous and Polis in Paphos district. Six fire engines brought the blaze under control at 6:17 p.m. after it burned eight decares of dry vegetation, wild growth, fruit trees and reeds.
The Forestry Department assisted with five fire engines, a water tanker and two earth‑moving machines, while the Game and Fauna Service also supported the operation. Four firefighting aircraft carried out successive water drops. The cause of the fire is under investigation, the Fire Service said.
