NICOSIA (Reuters) -Two people were killed and hundreds evacuated as a massive wildfire tore through southern Cyprus, destroying homes and threatening communities amid an intense heatwave.
At least 100 square kilometres (39 square miles) was razed to the ground in a wine-producing region north of the city of Limassol after the blaze broke out around midday on Wednesday, with several fronts still active on Thursday morning.
Two people were found dead in a burned-out vehicle, trapped by the fire. At least 10 people were injured, two of them seriously, police said.
As dawn broke, a red hue hung over Limassol, a sprawling coastal city where development in recent years has spilled over to its surrounding mountains. Firefighting aircraft were redeployed at first light after darkness forced a pause.
Authorities said it was too early to give a precise account of damage, or what started the fire.
“We are talking about very strong winds, with gusts, which were constantly interchanging,” fire brigade spokesperson Andreas Kettis said.
Temperatures on the island peaked at 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, triggering an amber weather alert. A new amber warning was in place on Thursday, with highs forecast to hit 44 degrees Celsius – the hottest of the year so far.
Cyprus has requested help through the European Union’s civil protection mechanism, with Spain expected to send two aircraft on Thursday, government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said. Jordan has also pledged assistance.
Cyprus has struggled with a protracted drought, pushing scarce water resources to critically low levels. The affected area sits just north of Cyprus’s Kouris reservoir, the island’s largest. It was at just 15.5% of its capacity on Wednesday.
(Writing by Michele Kambas. Additional reporting by Yiannis Kourtoglou. Editing by Christopher Cushing and Mark Potter)
