Tenants evacuate as fire breaks out at store

Apartments above a local convenience store in west Nicosia had to be evacuated in the wee hours Wednesday morning after a fire broke out in the establishment.

According to local media, a fire broke out at a neighborhood convenience store in Makedonitissa, in Engomi, west Nicosia, Wednesday early morning, with the dispatcher getting the call at 4:48am. Additional reports said the fire is believed to have started around 4am.

Two fire trucks rushed to the scene and managed to put out the flames, after the fire had already caused extensive damages to the store and commercial equipment.

Officials said two apartments located immediately above the convenience store had to be evacuated as a precaution, with a total of five persons ordered to leave the premises.

Reports also pointed to the odor of smoke wafting over other boroughs in the capital.

Police and the fire department are jointly investigating the incident.