The deadly fire in Cyprus has claimed four lives on Monday as the massive blaze raged for a third day in Cyprus. The fire, said to be the worst in decades, razed tracts of forest and gutted dozens of homes.

The fire, fanned by high temperatures and strong winds, has affected at least 10 communities over an area exceeding 50 square kilometres (19 square miles) in the foothills of the Troodos mountains of Cyprus, an area of pine forest and densely vegetated shrubland.

Eyewitness accounts

“My husband told me: ‘Take our daughter and go’,” said Vaso, a woman in her 50s, recounting her hasty retreat with her daughter in their car as the flames closed in on Saturday in her village of Odos.

Shocked and shaken looking at their blackened hillsides, many villagers evacuated the area in a rush to escape the engulfing fire. A policeman at the scene told AFP they appeared to have fled the vehicle on foot but ran in the direction of the wind-fanned flames, in a doomed attempt to escape.

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An eyewitness described a scene of panic on Saturday as church bells rang out. “It went all dark; we couldn’t breathe. The village leader told us to go, go, go,” said 4-year-old 6Elpida Papastylianou. “The church bells just kept ringing.”

The bodies of the victims were found some 600 metres away from the spot where their burnt-out vehicle had plunged down a ravine.

The fire, which has damaged or destroyed around 50 homes, many of them in Arakapas, was brought largely under control on Sunday. “Everything was a nightmare and pure hell here, the village was surrounded by fire,” said Akis Giorgiou of Arakapas.

Heat and smoke from the blaze killed more than 50,0000 chickens at a farm near Ora, an AFP photographer reported.

“It was the worst fire in my life. I’d never seen anything like it. It was terrible,” said eighty-year-old villager Giorgou Herculis, breaking down in tears.

Though the majority of fire has been doused, the authorities have warned that the smouldering hillsides could re-ignite in case of a return of high winds.

Origin of the fire

A 67-year-old farmer was arrested and remanded in custody on suspicion of starting the blaze. He, however, has denied the charge. He was seen by an eyewitness leaving the village of Arakapas in his car at the same time the fire started, police said.