Firefighters in Cyprus on Thursday were battling sprawling wildfires that have killed at least two people and forced evacuations on the island, the authorities told local news media.
The wildfires broke out on Wednesday and spread through a mountainous region near the southern city of Limassol, prompting dozens of people in several communities in the area to evacuate. The blaze, which burned homes and trees, covered nearly 39 square miles, or more than 24,000 acres, a spokesman for Cyprus Fire Brigade said on Thursday.
Two people were found dead inside a charred vehicle, and dozens of others were treated for respiratory problems, the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, the country’s public broadcaster, reported, and more than 100 people had been evacuated and staying in temporary shelters. Photos and videos circulating online showed red flames and smoke billowing from mountainsides.
Eastern Europe has been sweltering under extreme heat and dry conditions for over a week, with heat alerts issued from northern Scandinavia all the way south to Cyprus. The fire brigade in Cyprus this week had warned of a high risk of wildfires.
Investigators were still investigating the cause of the fire, which broke out near the village of Malia, but the chief of the Fire Brigade, Nikos Longinos, told the broadcaster that eyewitnesses reports suggested an arsonist was responsible.
At least 14 aircraft were fighting the blaze from the air, a spokesman for the government of Cyprus said on Wednesday. Firefighters had controlled some fires but were racing to combat flare-ups on Thursday, Andreas Kettis, the spokesman for the Fire Brigade, said.
Spain and Jordan were sending firefighting aircraft to help after Cyprus requested assistance, he said. The European Union also said Thursday that it had sent two airplanes from its joint firefighting fleet.
The authorities in Cyprus warned residents on Thursday that many areas near the fire remained inaccessible or dangerous because of falling power lines on roads. More than a dozen communities remained without power, and the Electricity Authority of Cyprus said on Thursday in a social media post that it had only assessed damage in about 20 percent of the fire-affected area. “The situation is very challenging,” it said.
The hot and dry weather in the region was expected to persist. Heat alerts were issued through Thursday, and inland temperatures could reach up to 111 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Cyprus Department of Meteorology. (The average July maximum in Cyprus is typically around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.) The extreme heat is expected to ease early next week.
Greece has also experienced punishing heat, with temperatures reaching nearly 113 degrees Fahrenheit in some parts on Tuesday. The heat has prompted concerns over the severity of this year’s wildfire season. A large wildfire near Corinth in southern Greece on Tuesday prompted the evacuation of several villages.
Niki Kitsantonis and Nazaneen Ghaffar contributed reporting.
Isabella Kwai is a Times reporter based in London, covering breaking news and other trends.
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