About ten hectares of wild vegetation, bales of hay, dry grass and waste materials were burned by the fire that broke out at noon on Saturday in the area of Deryneia and spread to the dead zone, within which the Fire Service forces, as well as Turkish Cypriots from the possessions.
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In his statements to KYPE, the Mayor of Deryneia, Andros Karagiannis, who was in the area where the fire broke out, said that "the fire started shortly before one in the afternoon on Saturday, June 17 and seems to have started in the free areas, near the Cultural Center of of occupied Famagusta Municipality in Deryneia. The fire after about two and a half hours seems to be under control."
He added that "so far we do not know the reason why the fire broke out but it seems to be due to the human factor". "The grain that the farmers of the area harvested a few days ago acted as a combustible material for the rapid spread of the fire," he said.
He also mentioned that the southeast wind that existed in the area helped spread the fire from the free areas of Deryneia to the dead zone, "that is, in the area to the left of the barricade". Unfortunately, he continued, the fire ended up in the dead zone, where there is wild nature and vegetation, the area is inaccessible, there are barbed wire and in some areas and minefields, as a result of which this made it difficult for the Fire Service to extinguish the fire.
He also noted that "from the first moment, workers from the Municipality of Deryneia, an excavator and five fire engines from the Fire Stations of Famagusta and Xylofagos went to the area, while personnel were also recalled. The fire burned about ten hectares of wild vegetation, calluses, hay bales, acacias, dry grasses and waste materials.
According to Mr. Karagiannis, "because the fire spread to the right side of the barricade, fire engines from the occupied areas were also forced to extinguish it. In some part of the area where the dead zone is located, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots were trying to put out the fire from both sides."
He also mentioned that "from the first moment the surveillance inside the dead zone was done by the United Nations, while the contribution of the Fire Service to extinguish the fire was enormous. The help of the volunteers, the working staff of the Municipality of Deryneia and members of the Veterinary Services who were at the roadblock to check for the non-spread of the sheep disease was also important.
Responding to a related question, the Mayor of Deryneia said that "the roadblock of Deryneia, which was closed from the first moment due to the fire, will remain closed and the Fire Service and the Police will inform at a later stage when and if it will be open to traffic".
Mr. Karagiannis "expressed his thanks to the members of the Fire Service and to all those who helped in the efforts to extinguish the fire."