Dubai journalist caught up in fire that ravaged Cyprus

Reporter’s picture of child watching the inferno has gone viral

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  This image of a child watching a forest fire burn through the village of Ora in Cyprus has gone viral. Courtesy: Andrea Anastasiou

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  Volunteers help carry a hose in an effort to contain a fire near the Kotsiatis area on the outskirts of Cyprus's capital, Nicosia.

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  Trees burn on the slopes of the Troodos mountain range.

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  Firefighters douse flames near Kotsiatis. Four people have been killed in the worst forest fire in Cyprus in decades.

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  A burnt house in Ora village, Larnaca, Cyprus.

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  Farmers dispose of 80,000 chickens that died from heat and smoke inhalation near Ora village on the southern slopes of the Troodos mountains.

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  A view of a burnt house outside Ora village, Cyprus.

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  A Spanish firefighting plane dumps water on the southern slopes of the Troodos. A farmer, 67, has been arrested and remanded in custody on suspicion of causing the blaze.

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  President Nicos Anastasiades described the blaze as ‘the largest fire since 1974’ in Cyprus, the year the island was divided after Turkey occupied its north.

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  Destroyed vehicles close to the Cypriot village of Agioi Vavatsinias. More than 50 square kilometres of forest and farmland has been destroyed.

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  Fanned by strong winds, the fire has swept through much of Cyprus leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

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  Heavy smoke hangs in the sky above Ora as the fire shows little sign of abating.

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  However, Mr Anastasiades said the blaze appears to have largely been contained but could resurge.

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  Firefighters in a forest on the slopes of the Troodos mountain chain in Cyprus.

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  Firefighters attempt to put out a blaze in a forest on the slopes of the Troodos mountain chain.

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  A charred house stands in the village of Ora, Cyprus.

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  A scene from the village of Ora as a forest fire ravages through the area. Courtesy: Andrea Anastasiou

A former Dubai resident caught up in the forest fire that ravaged through Cyprus at the weekend said “it was like something from the apocalypse”.

Freelance journalist Andrea Anastasiou told The National she was terrified as she fled with her family from the inferno that swept through the village of Ora.

The fire, which broke out on Saturday afternoon, was the worst to hit Cyprus in decades, authorities said.

Four Egyptian workers were killed in the blaze, which destroyed 50 homes, forced the evacuation of 10 villages and caused power cuts and widespread damage to farms.

It was terrifying and traumatising, especially when we were leaving the village and seeing people on the side of the road crying

Andrea Anastasiou

“Ash was falling everywhere. The sky was completely yellow and the sun was a blood-red colour. It was so scary,” the British-Cypriot said.

“All I remember is clouds of smoke heading towards us and realising we had to get out of there quickly.

“It was terrifying and traumatising, especially when we were leaving the village and seeing people on the side of the road crying.”

She said her family and neighbours feared they would never see their homes again as the blaze continued to spread.

The fire, which scorched more than 55 square kilometres of farmland and forest in the Troodos mountain range, was eventually brought under control on Sunday afternoon.

The Cypriot government reported a reduction in outbreaks owing to “effective water drops by Greek and Israeli aircraft”.

A scene from the village of Ora as a forest fire ravages through the area. Courtesy: Andrea Anastasiou

Anastasiou, 38, who left Dubai in late 2019, has spent the pandemic with her family in the village of Ora.

A photograph she took of a young neighbour from the village watching the oncoming fire has gone viral.

“I saw the young boy looking up at the fire and I knew it would make a powerful image,” she said.

“I grabbed the shot but just at that the fire was getting worse and people started yelling to get out of the village.”

This led to a frantic dash with her mother and sister to get into a car, before picking up her grandparents on their way out of Ora.

“People were bawling their eyes out crying and I had to shout at my grandfather to get into the car as he was confused by everything happening,” she said.

“There was another neighbour who was refusing to leave his home.

“It was all happening so fast and everyone was wondering if we would ever see the village again.”

Thankfully for Anastasiou and her family, their home emerged unscathed.

The President of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, tweeted that the blaze had been a tragedy and the largest on the island since 1974.

The remains of the Egyptian workers who died in the blaze were discovered outside the village of Odos in Larnaca, 600 metres away from their burnt-out vehicle, which lay at the bottom of a ravine.

The men, aged 22 to 29, had gone missing Saturday afternoon when the fire began outside the nearby village of Arakapas and spread quickly amid strong winds.

A 67-year-old farmer has been arrested and remanded in custody on suspicion of causing the blaze.

Police said he was spotted by a witness leaving the village of Arakapas in his car at around the same time as the fire started there.