A huge forest blaze in Cyprus has killed four people, destroyed houses and forcibly evacuated villages while Greece, Israel and other countries deployed firefighting planes on the Mediterranean island.
The fire started on Saturday and has swept neighborhoods in the southern foothills of the Troodos Mountains as the country faces a blistering heat wave.
“It’s a tragedy,” President Nicos Anastasiades said on Twitter, describing it as “the biggest fire since 1974.”
The flames had caused “loss of life” and destroyed forest property and land, said Anastasiades, who added that “the government will provide immediate assistance to the victims and the families of the victims.
“We will not leave anyone abandoned in the destruction of the fire.”
Firefighters managed to control the main fire Sunday morning, authorities said, warning that the strengthening of the winds could drive a resurgence.
In areas where the fire had been tamed, burnt tree trunks were visible on the mountain slopes, while gray ash had replaced the yellowish bushes as far as non-forested areas could be seen.
The thick trunks nourished by ancient olive trees, emblematic of the holiday island, were reduced to fiery skeletons.
Firefighters were seen along the road leading to the village of Vavatsinia, near the city of Larnaca, and several helicopters hovered over the fire as thick, gray smoke obscured the sky.
Janez Lenarcic, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, said on Saturday that his “air fire fighting capacity” had been mobilized, with Italy and Greece sending planes to help them.
Britain, which has military bases in Cyprus, deployed two search and rescue helicopters and helped refuel Cypriot planes.
“We are side by side with the Republic of Cyprus as we work together to overcome this tragedy,” said British Forces Commander Major General of Cyprus Rob Thomson.
Cyprus has experienced prolonged heat waves and periods of drought in recent years.
In recent days, the temperature has reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) inland and there has been very little rain since mid-April.