Great fires in southern Cyprus, the European Union and Israel

A large fire caused by wind and heat in southern Cyprus on Saturday prompted authorities to ask Israel and the European Union for help in extinguishing the flames that led to the evacuation of ten villages.

Several hours later, firefighters were still unable to put out the blaze, which continued late into the evening in the Arakabas district, north of the port city of Limassol. No casualties were reported, but several houses were destroyed.

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Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiates thanked Greece in a tweet that sent two Canadians as part of a European mechanism to respond to a call from Cyprus’ neighbor Israel on this day. “Difficult“.

Authorities say two more water bombers are expected from Italy as part of the European Emergency Assistance Mechanism. Villages in the neighboring district of Larnaca, a coastal town about fifty kilometers from Limasol, were evacuated as a precaution.

Six helicopters and four aircraft were mobilized

Smoke from the fire was visible from Larnaca. More than twenty firefighters, six helicopters and four planes have already been mobilized, as well as members of British troops stationed at UK bases stationed on the island.

Cyprus has been experiencing heat waves since the beginning of the week, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 45 degrees Celsius.