Cyprus-Forum.com

[GAVCARoCOM]

TRNC offered help via united nations yesterday . Mr soyer said they can send all planes and fire cars if needed.

Gc goverment ask syria , lubanon , greece and israel for help which they said they cant help now except greece send 2 planes

2 planes came from greece already and trying to stop the fire

Akapnu, Klonari, Sanida, Kellaki, Vasa villages under danger but village people refusing to leave there villages

only akapnu get empty around 14.00 but 2-3 houses are burned

Panayias Tu Glossa in danger

Vigla village which noone lives there school and between Layia-Oras area 2 holiday houses burned . some fire workers get injured.

they coulnt control the fire yet !!!!!

[MariaEvri]

sounds like a really big fire ... and its just june...
we have a long summer haead of us

[GorillaGal]

and a water shortage

[Nikitas]

Fire planes take in sea water. If anyone says water shortages are hampering fire fighting efforts should look at the map, the sea is within sight of the fire.

[GorillaGal]

Fire planes take in sea water. If anyone says water shortages are hampering fire fighting efforts should look at the map, the sea is within sight of the fire.

there i go, thinking like a person who lives on a huge continent. thanks for pointing that out.
but if you didn't have a water shortage, would the fires be there at all to begin with? aren't you all just a little dry and parched?????

[tessintrnc]

The weather now is always hot and no rain (from late spring through to late Autumn). Everything is very dry and the pine trees, acacias etc etc are very flammable in the summer!!!!
Tess

[GAVCARoCOM]

any news with the fire

[SSBubbles]

any news with the fire

‘We are fighting a losing battle’
By Nassos Stylianou

FIRST INDICATIONS that the fire was raging out of control could be seen from as far as 20 kilometres away from the village of Ora, where the blaze had started just after 3am yesterday morning.

The problem at hand for firemen and villagers trying to bring the fire under control was exacerbated by several outbreaks, with smoke rising from many different areas before forming the thick cloud of smoke that engulfed the area throughout the day.

A police block set up a few kilometres away from the affected areas warned drivers to take special care, as the situation was extremely dangerous.

Thick black ash replaced shrub land in the areas where the flames had taken everything in sight, with it three holiday homes in the outskirts of the village of Ora.

The panic spread nearly as quickly as the fire Outside the village, with locals arguing among themselves on the best way to combat the inferno.

Just after 1pm, scores of fire fighters and local residents were trying desperately to contain flames as high as 10 metres in areas that had been reignited due to the strong winds.

“This is unbelievable. Two minutes ago we had put the fire out in this area. Now all our work has been undone and the fire is raging again.

“We are getting extremely frustrated, we do not what else to do. We are fighting a losing battle,” a 38-year-old local resident told us.

The yells of the firemen trying to co-ordinate the fire fighting effort were being drowned out by the buzz of helicopters battling the blaze on another front, in an attempt to stop it from spreading to nearby villages.

While some volunteers tried desperately to suffocate the flames with thick olive tree branches, others were refilling their vehicles with water from boreholes in a desperate attempt to save their village.

“We have been here since the morning together with firemen national guardsmen and people from the Civil Defence Unit. All the village is here fighting the flames, there are even some women risking their lives with just a spade in their hands.

“This is the extent of the superhuman effort everyone here is undertaking. We are tired and just want this to be over as soon as possible,” another emotional local said.

The centre of the village had an eerie feel to it, with most residents having already evacuated. Those who remained were inconsolable. Maroulla Ioannou choked back her tears to describe the scene:

“This can only be described as a massive disaster for the village. Everything is burning, the flames are approaching my son’s house. We can do nothing else but pray for the best, this is simply a disaster,” Ioannou said.

While the fire still raged out of control, the blame game to find those responsible for the outbreak had already begun.

For the villagers who had not come to terms with the devastation, the responsibility lay with the authorities for not helping the communities be better prepared.

“The firemen have been here for hours and are doing their best [but] since last year we have repeatedly asked to have a fire fighting vehicle and unit stationed permanently in the area for such incidents. I cannot see why they refused,” Ora resident Stelios Ioannou said.

The Ora village councillors looked shell-shocked at the destruction the fire had caused as they sat glumly around a table.

“What can we say? Just go out there and look for yourselves: everything is destroyed,” one member said.

As the fire spread to another five villages in the area, the monumental effort to put an end to the blaze was set to continue into the evening. Neither the village leaders nor the locals had time to reflect on a day of utter devastation whose effects will take years for the area to come to terms with.


Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2008

[Paphitis]

I invite you all to make comment as to whether you see any merit or potential for the utilisation of CL415s as a possible fire fighting tool.

You can make your comments here.

http://www.cyprus-forum.com/viewtopic.php?t=18250

[cyprusgrump]

Fire planes take in sea water. If anyone says water shortages are hampering fire fighting efforts should look at the map, the sea is within sight of the fire.

Not strictly true..

We were due to have some non-potable water delivered yesterday but the tanker was commandeered to help fight the fire.

The guy has just been today and he spent most of yesterday running water (albeit non-potable) to the fire fighting effort.