Roundup: Cyprus forest fire threatens houses of evacuated mountain villages

A forest fire burning for more than two days in the central mountain region of Cyprus is nearing threateningly to the houses of two villages which have already been evacuated, a Forestry Department Spokesman said on Tuesday.

About 800 people were moved from their villages as a precautionary measure soon after the fire started at noon on Sunday.

Andreas Christou told the state radio as nightfall was nearing that several firefighting aircraft were making a desperate effort to avert the flames from spreading into the villages of Kanavia and Ayia Irini, on the slopes of the central mountain massif, about 50 kilometers southwest of Nicosia.

"The situation is getting worse in relation to the two villages," he said.

He also said that the flames have caused minor damages to the yards of some houses in another village, Eyrychou, from where the fire started.

But Christou said the fire was contained near two other villages, Spilia and Kourdali.

The firefighting planes from Greece, Israel and the British bases along with several helicopters leased by Cyprus made their last sorties dousing the flames before retiring for the night.

Christou said that a third fire front is burning out of control in the Asinou region, which has been declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage area, on account of several medieval churches which are richly decorated by unique byzantine frescoes.

The director of the Fire Service said firefighters have made sure that the fire will not damage any of the churches.

Four planes, three from France and one from Italy, arrived on Tuesday night at an air force base in the west of Cyprus, to reinforced the firefighting effort.

A spokesman for the French embassy said the planes will start operations on Wednesday morning.

The Forestry Department said the fire is probably the worst Cyprus has experienced so far, having burned out more than 15 square kilometers of century old pine trees, most of them over 25 meters high.

"It will take centuries for new pine trees to reach that height," an official of the Department said.

Xenios Xenophontos, the community leader of Spilia village, said that the fire has damaged several underground hideouts used by guerilla fighters during the independence campaign against British colonial rule in the 1950s.

He said that among the hideouts damaged was the one used by the guerillas' leader, Georgios Grivas Dighenis, a Cypriot born General of the Greek army.

"We will try to repair them when the fire is out," Xenophontos said.

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades canceled a scheduled meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci to continue peace negotiations.

He visited the region for a second day in succession, promising that the Council of Minister will consider on Wednesday measures to offer immediate relief to distressed residents of the villages in the region.

Cypriot European Commissioner for Humanitarian Assistance, Christos Stylianides, said the European Commission is following the situations and stands ready to offer relief assistance to Cyprus. Endit