Fire at Koutsovendis Landfill in Occupied Cyprus May Take Weeks to Contain
A fire that broke out at the landfill in occupied Koutsovendis has been ongoing for several days, with containment expected to take weeks, according to Michalis Loizidis, co-chair of the bicommunal Technical Committee on Environment. The blaze is primarily a surface fire, but the scale and depth of heat damage remain uncertain, complicating efforts to extinguish it fully. The affected area is estimated to be 20 to 25 dunams.
Loizidis emphasized the limited options available to tackle the fire and highlighted the potential need for structural improvements at the landfill, which was funded as a sanitary site using EU funds. He proposed the development of an early-warning system on both sides of Cyprus to monitor toxic gas concentrations and provide timely alerts to residents. Given the smoke emissions and prevailing wind conditions, such measures could significantly enhance public safety.
Residents near the site have expressed concerns about protecting their families from smoke exposure. Loizidis recommended staying indoors when smells are strong and noted that evacuations within a two to three-kilometer radius might have been warranted from the start. Efforts with bulldozers and other equipment are ongoing to reduce the fire's spread until it can be fully controlled.
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