Cyprus faces worst forest fire in decades; 4 dead, villages evacuated
The wildfire, described as the worst since the Republic of Cyprus was established in 1960, destroyed 50 homes, damaged power lines and forced the evacuation of 10 villages. Thick gnarled trunks of ancient olive trees, emblematic of the holiday island, were reduced to smoldering stumps.
AFP
July 05, 2021 / 16:39 IST
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Firefighters in Cyprus had brought under control the Island’s worst blaze on record on July 5. The wildfire ripped through mountain forests and farmland, killing peoples and destroying scores of homes. (Image: AFP)
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Water-bombing planes from Greece and Israel and British aircraft from bases on the Mediterranean island helped douse the huge fire, which blackened 55 square kilometers (21 square miles) of the Troodos mountains. (Image: AFP)
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A Spanish Air Tractor AT-802A firefighting plane dumps water on the southern slopes of the Troodos mountains close to Agioi Vavatsinias village. (Image: AFP)
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A firefighting aircraft douses the flames in an effort to contain a fire near the Kotsiatis area, on the outskirts of Cyprus' capital Nicosia. (Image: AFP)
The wildfire, described as the worst since the Republic of Cyprus was established in 1960, destroyed 50 homes, damaged power lines and forced the evacuation of 10 villages, authorities reported. (Image: AFP)
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The fire, fanned by strong winds and exacerbated by a heatwave that has baked the island in temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius, sent up a vast cloud of smoke that was visible from sea and from the other side of the Troodos mountain range. (Image: AFP)
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More than 600 people from the emergency services and army were involved in tackling the blaze, along with a dozen aircraft and 70 fire trucks as well as a reconnaissance drone, the forestry department said. (Image: AFP)
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Villagers in the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus looked in shock on July 4 at their blackened hillsides after a deadly fire fanned by high temperatures and strong winds. (Image: AFP)
