Vacationers evacuate Polis campsite due to fire

The Polis campground was evacuated Sunday after midnight due to a fire raging in nearby reed beds, with initial signs pointing to arson.

Authorities say the emergency dispatcher received a call at 12:33am regarding a fire that was raging in an area near the Polis Chrysochous camping site, Paphos district, burning reed beds, wild vegetation, and eucalyptus trees within an area of 1.5 hectares.

About 40 fire fighters took part in the operation, managing to contain the fire between 3:30am and 4am Sunday morning with the use of ten Forestry Department fire engines and three earthmovers, and six additional fire trucks from the Fire Department.

Police evacuated the camping site as well as residents in nearby homes, saying the evacuation was conducted as a precaution where an undisclosed number of people were transported to the shore. Unconfirmed reports suggested several hundreds of people took part in the evacuation. 

Civil Defence crews were standing by near the water and remained on guard until the fire was contained.

Initial reports pointed to an apparent arson but this was not publicly confirmed later, with police and the forestry department saying they are investigating the incident.

The Polis Chrysochous campground made headlines recently, following reports that a long and protracted dispute between the municipality and the operator of the local campsite had come to an end.

A private investor will be expected to make several improvements to the camping site, which is in desperate need of an upgrade.

But the operator and other critics believe the work is unnecessary, assigning great value to the natural beauty and camping atmosphere that has been going on for decades when CTO first created the site.