Dubai journalist caught up in fire that ravaged Cyprus


Patrick Ryan
  • English
  • Arabic

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
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.

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Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier

Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November

UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi

 

 

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1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:

  • 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
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800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal

Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year

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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

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Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

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British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Updated: July 06, 2021, 5:26 AM`