PHOTO: AFPAircraft from Greece and Jordan were helping Cypriot authorities battle a large wildfire in the southwestern Paphos region believed to have been started by an illegal landfill, officials said Wednesday. Around 48 people evacuated from the fire zone were taken to hotels, said local daily Kathimerini Cyprus. The community leader in the village of Lemona, Kyriakos Charalambous, told the Cyprus News Agency it took “too long” for aerial firefighting units to arrive. Wildfires often erupt in Cyprus during the sweltering summer months on the island which suffers from a severe lack of rainfall. The Department of Meteorology issued a yellow alert for Wednesday for extreme heat, with maximum temperatures expected to reach 41 degrees Celsius.

Source: The Express Tribune June 13, 2024 13:42 UTC