Roundup: Firefighting aircraft provides help to contain Cyprus forest fire

Greek, Israeli and British firefighting aircraft provided help to fight a huge forest fire which is burning out one of the most scenic regions of Cyprus on Monday that has already forced the evacuation of four mountain communities.

Greece sent two helicopters on Monday in addition to two planes sent on Sunday to help fight the blaze, alongside three Israeli planes and British helicopters from the British military bases in Cyprus.

A spokesman for the crisis center coordinating the firefighting efforts said that a total of 16 aircraft are dousing the flames along inaccessible ravines to help hundreds of fire fighters battling the fire on the ground.

The blaze started at noon on Sunday by a boy's attempt to burn dry grass and soon swept through the Solea region, covered with century old pine and fruit trees.

The area is among the most inaccessible mountain regions of the central mountain range and that was the reason why Cypriot independence guerillas fighting thousands of British troops in the 1950s set up their hideouts there.

Reports said that the underground hideout of the leader of the guerilla force, which was turned into a national monument, was damaged by the flames.

The fire is one of the worst in Cyprus in recent years and coincided with the first heatwave of the year that turned the forest into tinderbox.

"The situation is very difficult and really tragic. The damage caused is irreparable," said Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades after presiding a meeting of officials in the region, including Israel's ambassador.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci called Anastasiades, offering assistance.

Akinci leads a breakaway region set up by Turkey in the part of Cyprus it occupied in 1974, in reaction to a coup by the military rulers of Greece at the time.

Anastasiades thanked Akinci telling him that the authorities had enough ground personnel and equipment at their disposal.

The police partly recalled officers on leave and the National Guard put more units on alert to relieve the men fighting the flames.

A fire service spokesman at the crisis center set up in the region said three hours before nightfall that hopes to contain the fire are pinned on water bomber aircraft, as there is not much that can be done on the ground.

Two firefighters were hurt, one of them critically, after their chain traction vehicle fell into a ravine. Endite