Black Hawk helicopters ready to combat wildfires

The forestry department on Wednesday announced that the newly leased helicopters of the Republic are now fully operational and ready to be used to combat wildfires.

The two Black Hawk helicopters arrived last week from Slovakia at Paphos airport, where they will be stationed.

They were immediately put into operational use by the department at the beginning of the week.

One of the helicopters participated in extinguishing the fire that broke out on Tuesday in the Pachna and Prastio areas of the Limassol district.

In a statement, the forestry department added that the helicopters, each capable of carrying 3,400 litres of water, “will be a significant asset for the relevant services and will bolster firefighting efforts throughout the summer season.”