Four people are confirmed dead in the midst of what many are calling the most destructive forest fire in the history of Cyprus.
The inferno started on Saturday in the midst of a weeklong heat wave and was made worse by strong winds, according to the Associated Press.
So far, the fire has burned 21 square miles of pine forests and orchards, forcing the evacuation of eight mountain villages. The fire engulfed the Troodos mountain range, an area with pine forests and dense shrubland, Al Jazeera reported.
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades called it “an unprecedented tragedy” other than the deadly ethnic violence that broke out on the island between Greeks and Turks in 1974.
Interior Minister Nicos Nouris claimed on Sunday that authorities are “cautiously optimistic” about beating back the flames, but the possible resumption of strong winds could undo the progress made by firefighting crews.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus thanked Greece, Italy, and Israel for their “swift response and valuable assistance” in contributing firefighting aircraft.
British helicopters from a United Kingdom military base on the island joined in the effort, as did the European Union, which assisted with the deployment of aircraft and a satellite.
? #Italy for your swift response and valuable assistance in containing devastating wildfires
??????@ItalyMFA @ItalyinCyprus https://t.co/5vvPaHPyX7— Cyprus MFA (@CyprusMFA) July 4, 2021
The four charred bodies found by Cypriot authorities were identified as Egyptian agricultural laborers. According to a local community chief, the four worked in a greenhouse and tried to flee when they observed the fire approaching but failed to outrun it after their truck fell down an embankment. Arrangements are underway to repatriate the bodies to Egypt, the Associated Press reports.
Though some locals decried what they claim are the authorities’ slow response, the Cypriot fire department claims that it has deployed all of its resources; 70 fire engines, seven bulldozers, 10 water tankers, and 11 aircraft. Local volunteers also rushed to help.
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Though the cause of the fire hasn’t been determined, a 67-year-old man is currently in custody for suspected arson.
“We are experiencing the most destructive fire since the founding of the Cyprus republic,” Nouris said on Sunday.
