Authorities in Cyprus have said a deadly forest fire that was the worst to hit the island in decades was close to being brought under control after water bombing by Greek and Israeli aircraft.
Fanned by strong winds, the fire broke out on Saturday afternoon and swept through the southern foothills of the Troodos mountain range as the country grappled with a blistering heatwave.
The blaze killed four Egyptian labourers, destroyed 50 homes, damaged farms and power lines, and forced the evacuation of 10 villages.
“Everything was a nightmare and pure hell here; the village was surrounded by fire,” said Akis Giorgiou, 45, from the hamlet of Arakapas.
By late Sunday afternoon, the government reported a “reduction of [fire] outbreaks” thanks to “effective water drops by Greek and Israeli aircraft”.
The Egyptian government said the four dead were farm workers from the north African country, while Nicosia pledged to “stand by the victims’ families … offering every support”.
“It is a tragedy,” President Nicos Anastasiades said on Twitter, describing it as “the largest fire since 1974”, the year when the island was divided after Turkey occupied its northern third.
More than 50 sq km (20 sq miles) of forest and farmland had been destroyed. Thick gnarled trunks of ancient olive trees, emblematic of the holiday island, were reduced to smouldering stumps.
The interior minister, Nicos Nouris, said the four Egyptians’ bodies were found outside the village of Odos in Larnaca district.
Their burnt-out vehicle was found at the bottom of a ravine and the four bodies 600 metres away. A policeman at the scene said they appeared to have fled the vehicle on foot but ran in the direction of the wind-fanned flames, in a doomed attempt to escape.
In areas where the fire had been tamed, grey ash replaced yellowed scrub as far as the eye could see in non-forested areas.
A 67-year-old farmer was arrested and remanded in custody on suspicion of causing the blaze, which he denied. Police said a witness had seen him leaving the village of Arakapas in his car at the same time the fire started there, and he could face charges of recklessly causing the four deaths.
Anastasiades visited a crisis management centre in the village of Vavatsinia, a few miles east of the blaze, on Sunday morning, the CNA news agency reported. The Greek-Cypriot leader said the blaze had appeared largely contained but could resurge.
Firefighters were seen along the road leading to Vavatsinia and several helicopters hovered above the fire as thick grey smoke obscured the sky. An AFP correspondent in Ora village reported seeing several burnt-out homes.
Janez Lenarčič, the European commissioner for crisis management, said on Saturday the EU’s “aerial firefighting capacity” had been mobilised, with Italy and Greece sending planes to help.
Israel deployed a C-130 Hercules and two “air tractor” firefighting aircraft. – Britain, which has military bases on Cyprus, deployed two search and rescue helicopters.
A government spokeswoman said later that the situation was close to being brought under control.
“The fire and forestry services inspected the affected communities and now consider them safe,” said spokeswoman Niovi Parisinou.
“The effort continues as complacency is not allowed until the final extinguishing of all fires,” she said, adding electricity supplies were being gradually restored.
“Instructions have already been given for people to return where homes are deemed safe.”
Teams would be deployed immediately to start evaluating and registering damaged homes and property for compensation, she added.
Cyprus has experienced extended heatwaves and periods of drought in recent years.
In the past few days, the temperature has topped 40C(104F) inland and there has been very little rain since mid-April.
