Limassol, Cyprus. The Fire Service responded to 27 calls for assistance over the past 24 hours, including the rescue of a man injured by a handheld tractor and a fire in a large pile of rubbish.
Summary of incidents and callouts
According to Fire Service spokesman Andreas Kettis, between 6:00am on May 11 and 6:00am on May 12, the service handled 27 calls, including 13 fires, 11 special services and three false alarms.
Man rescued after hand tractor injury
The first major incident occurred on Monday morning shortly before 11:00am, when crews were called to rescue a man injured by a hand tractor in an orchard in the “Makrinari” area of Kapileio, in the Limassol district.
Rescue teams and vehicles from the Agios Ioannis Fire Station and the Moniatis Fire Station responded. Firefighters freed the man’s trapped leg by removing parts of the device and handed him over to ambulance services for transfer to the accident and emergency department of Limassol general hospital.
Rubbish pile fire linked to battery packs
Firefighters later responded to a blaze involving a large pile of rubbish, estimated at around two tonnes, which had been discarded by a municipal refuse truck at the roadside.
The fire is believed to have started in the waste while it was still inside the truck following collection. The driver, after noticing the fire, emptied the load at a safe location and alerted the Fire Service.
Two fire engines from the Agios Nikolaos Fire Station brought the blaze under control. During firefighting operations, crews discovered battery packs within the pile that were short-circuiting and are believed to have caused the fire.
A municipal rapid response officer was called to the scene to manage the collection and handling of the materials.
What steps do you take to safely dispose of batteries and battery packs in your area?
