Latest news with #CyBC
Jordan Times
4 days ago
- Climate
- Jordan Times
Two dead as Cyprus battles wildfire in searing heat
Soúni, Cyprus — Two people have died in a wildfire outside Cyprus's second city of Limassol fanned by strong winds and temperatures that were forecast to reach 44C, authorities said on Thursday. Police said two charred bodies were found in a burnt out car believed to have been caught up in the blaze that erupted on Wednesday afternoon. "We express the deep sorrow of the state over the unjust loss of two of our fellow citizens during the devastating wildfires," said government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis. Announcing relief measures for the affected communities, Letymbiotis said that "what is unfolding in our country... is unprecedented" with "multiple simultaneous wildfire outbreaks". Health authorities said two people were admitted to hospital with severe burns while another 16 were treated for less serious injuries. Fire service spokesperson Andreas Kettis said the blaze, which started in the village of Malia in the hills above Limassol, ravaged 100 square kilometres (nearly 40 square miles). He said there were "no active fronts" in the fire but intense "flare-ups" continued in the area. Authorities issued an extreme heat alert for the Mediterranean holiday island as temperatures were expected to peak at 44C. More than 250 firefighters and 75 vehicles were deployed to battle the blaze. The government has asked neighbouring countries to send aircraft to support the firefighting effort. Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis told public broadcaster CyBC that Jordan had two firefighting aircraft on stand-by while two more were expected to come from Spain. Hartsiotis said 106 people had to spend the night in temporary accommodation after several villages were evacuated in the face of the advancing flames. Scores of homes are feared to have been damaged or destroyed by the fire, with 16 communities left without electricity for airconditioning or refrigeration in the searing heat. "When I entered my house, I saw the mountain and the valley full of flames," said Antonis Christou, a resident of Kandou, one of the villages affected by the fire. "I cried, really I cried, because people got burnt, and someone got burnt while in his car." Fire service chief Nikos Longinos told CyBC that he had passed on witness testimony to the police which suggested that the blaze might have been started deliberately. Cyprus is hit by wildfires almost every year during the island's hot, dry summers. A 2021 wildfire in Larnaca district killed four Egyptian farmworkers.
New Straits Times
5 days ago
- Climate
- New Straits Times
Two dead as Cyprus battles wildfire in searing heat
NICOSIA: Two people have died in a wildfire outside Cyprus's second city of Limassol fanned by strong winds and temperatures that were forecast to reach 44C, authorities said on Thursday. Police said two charred bodies were found in a burnt out car believed to have been caught up in the blaze that erupted on Wednesday afternoon. Health authorities said two people were admitted to hospital with severe burns while another 16 were treated for less serious injuries. Fire service spokesperson Andreas Kettis said the blaze, which started in the village of Malia in the hills above Limassol, ravaged 100 square kilometres (nearly 40 square miles). He said there were "no active fronts" in the fire but intense "flare-ups" continued in the area. Authorities issued an extreme heat alert for the Mediterranean holiday island as temperatures were expected to peak at 44C. More than 250 firefighters and 75 vehicles were deployed to battle the blaze. The government has asked neighbouring countries to send aircraft to support the firefighting effort. Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis told public broadcaster CyBC that Jordan had two firefighting aircraft on stand-by while two more were expected to come from Spain. He said 106 people had to spend the night in temporary accommodation after several villages were evacuated in the face of the advancing flames. Scores of homes are feared to have been damaged or destroyed by the fire, with 16 communities left without electricity for airconditioning or refrigeration in the searing heat. "When I entered my house, I saw the mountain and the valley full of flames," said Antonis Christou, a resident of Kandou, one of the villages affected by the fire. "I cried, really I cried, because people got burnt, and someone got burnt while in his car." Fire service chief Nikos Logginos told CyBC that he had passed on witness testimony to the police which suggested that the blaze might have been started deliberately. Cyprus is hit by wildfires almost every year during the island's hot, dry summers. A 2021 wildfire in Larnaca district killed four Egyptian farmworkers. — AFP
Arab Times
5 days ago
- Climate
- Arab Times
2 dead, dozens evacuated as wildfire rages in Cyprus' Limassol region
NICOSIA, July 24, (Xinhua): Two people have been confirmed dead and dozens evacuated as a massive wildfire continued to burn out of control in the mountainous areas of Limassol District in southern Cyprus, authorities said Thursday. According to local media reports and statements from emergency officials, the bodies of two individuals were discovered inside a burnt-out vehicle between the villages of Monagri and Alassa late Wednesday night. Identification efforts are currently underway. The wildfire, which erupted Wednesday afternoon near the village of Malia, has since spread rapidly due to strong winds and extreme heat, affecting at least 10 communities. As of Thursday morning, a total of 106 residents had been relocated to temporary accommodation amid efforts to house them in hotel units, Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis told state broadcaster CyBC. Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, Fire Service Spokesperson Andreas Kettis said that more than 250 firefighters and 75 fire engines had been deployed to combat the blaze, supported by 10 firefighting aircraft, with three additional aircraft to join later. He added that the fire had scorched approximately 100 square km of land. State Health Services Organization Spokesperson Charalambos Charilaou told local daily Phileleftheros that 16 individuals were hospitalized at Limassol General Hospital, including two with burn injuries. A temporary first-aid center has also been established in the village of Erimi to assist those experiencing respiratory problems. Electricity supply has also been severely disrupted. Electricity Authority of Cyprus Spokeswoman Christina Papadopoulou said up to 15 percent of the national grid may have been damaged, including a substation that was completely destroyed. As of Thursday morning, 15 villages remained without power, including parts of the Limassol suburb of Ypsonas. Authorities said an investigation into the origin of the fire is ongoing. The Cypriot government has activated European civil protection mechanisms, and neighboring countries such as Jordan have reportedly offered assistance. Enditem
Euronews
5 days ago
- Climate
- Euronews
Crews in Cyprus battle huge wildfires, villages forced to evacuate
Cypriot firefighters have spent Wednesday battling a huge wildfire which has forced people living in at least four villages in the southern Limassol area to evacuate. Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis and Chief Fire Officer Nikos Longinos are at the scene of the fire, public broadcaster CyBC reported. The broadcaster said authorities had initiated the "Icarus II" emergency response plan which is supported by 10 fire engines and six firefighting aircraft. Personnel from the British military bases Akrotiri and Dhekelia are reportedly also assisting in the operation. "I can confirm that there is considerable damage to some homes," spokesperson for the fire service Andreas Kettis told CyBC. He said the Limassol fire broke out around noon on Wednesday and that fire crews are on the ground trying to bring it under control. Meanwhile, the Civil Defence is evacuating the community of Agia Varvara in the southwestern city of Paphos after a new fire that broke out at 4pm in the area in the afternoon. Two aircraft were sent to the area to help the five fire engines extinguish the blaze, but firefighting efforts were reportedly hampered by strong winds. Wednesday's fires broke out on the first day of a heatwave in Cyprus with forecasters expecting temperatures on Thursday to hit 45 degrees Celsius, making it the hottest day of the year. High temperatures are expected to continue until at least Monday and authorities have issued an amber alert heat warning. The Ministry of Health is urging the public to take necessary precautions to protect themselves from the heatwave. It has advised vulnerable groups such as young children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with chronic diseases to take particular care. Heatwaves and climate change Climatologists have sounded the alarm that climate change-linked activity is causing record-breaking temperatures across much of the Mediterranean region. The Mediterranean "is on fire," meteorologist Marta Almarcha wrote in a post for Spain's weather portal earlier this month. Last week, a sea surface temperature of 30C was recorded by a tide gauge in Mallorca. Coastal areas around France and western Italy are also setting very high temperatures for this time of year. In fact, almost the entire Mediterranean basin is suffering a marine heatwave, Almarcha added. Researchers at Carbon Brief recently mapped every published scientific study detailing how climate change has influenced extreme weather. This analysis covered 116 heat-related events in Europe. Of this total, scientists deemed 110 (95%) were made more severe or more likely because of climate change. June heatwaves are around ten times more likely to occur now compared to pre-industrial times because of the impact of climate change, scientists at World Weather Attribution estimate. Others say atmospheric events driving heatwaves have almost tripled in strength and duration since the 1950s. The latest European State of the Climate report from the EU's Copernicus service said that Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent and is experiencing serious impacts from extreme weather and climate change.
The Star
5 days ago
- Climate
- The Star
Cyprus struggles to contain wildfire, homes damaged
NICOSIA (Reuters) -Firefighters in Cyprus were battling on Wednesday to contain a huge wildfire forcing the evacuation of at least four villages on the first day of a heatwave which sent temperatures soaring. Authorities said the fire was raging in terrain north of the southern city of Limassol, stoked by strong winds and high temperatures. "I can confirm that there is considerable damage to some dwellings," fire brigade spokesperson Andreas Kettis told Cyprus's state broadcaster CyBC. He said 14 aircraft and workers on the ground were trying to extinguish the blaze, which broke out around midday on Wednesday. Temperatures on the east Mediterranean island hit 43 degrees Celsius (109.4 degrees Fahrenheit) inland on Wednesday, forcing authorities to issue an amber weather warning. It was expected to climb further to 44 C on Thursday, making it the hottest day of the year. Although heatwaves and forest fires are common, the impact on human life and the damage have become more pronounced in recent years. Four men from Egypt died in a fire in 2021. (Writing by Michele Kambas;Editing by Alison Williams)
