Forests Blazed in Northern Cyprus Over the Weekend

This past weekend, extensive forest fires erupted in Northern Cyprus. Fires broke out twice between the villages of Altınova and Ağırlar, as well as near Kantara Castle.

The first fire between Altınova and Ağırlar, near Iskele, started on Saturday around noon. Three helicopters were deployed to fight the fire, and a plane from Turkey was sent for cooling operations.

According to the mayor of Iskele, the likely cause of the fire was an unextinguished cigarette butt. During the firefighting efforts, one firefighter broke his leg. Additionally, it was revealed that the local firefighting team lacks sufficient transportation vehicles.

The mayor is convinced that the fire would not have spread over such a large area if the region had modern fire trucks. The Iskele firefighting team also lacks adequate fire extinguishers to effectively combat the blaze.

The mayor thanked the Turkish Republic for sending helicopters and planes to help extinguish the fires.

By evening, the fire was brought under control.

However, due to strong winds, the fire between Altınova and Ağırlar reignited later. In a municipal statement, citizens with water tanks and construction equipment near the area were asked to come to the village entrance to help fight the fire.

Firefighters quickly arrived at the scene and battled the flames throughout the night, preventing the fire from spreading to other areas of the village.

Despite the significant panic among local residents, rescuers managed to bring the situation under control and extinguish the fire, avoiding any loss of life.

Additionally, around 11:00 PM, the fire department received a report of a fire near Kantara. The fire was swiftly brought under control thanks to the intervention of local residents, the fire department, and forestry teams.

The police have yet to release a statement on the causes of the fires.