RAF
RAF In International Fight Against Cyprus Blaze
The wildfires in Cyprus have now been raging for at least four days.
Aircraft have come from all over the world to help try and put the fires out, from countries such as Israel, Greece, and the UK.
RAF No. 84 Squadron, based at RAF Akrotiri, represents the British effort and is the only serving squadron to never have been based in the UK.
The squadron uses Bell Griffin HAR 2 helicopters in a primarily search and rescue role, though they are also used to maintain the buffer zone between Cypriot and Turkish forces as part of a UN mission.
The helicopters have been dumping huge quantities of water on the fire and have succeeded in dampening the blaze down, while there are also volunteer aircraft tackling it.
Today, additional IAF firefighting & cargo aircrafts headed to #Cyprus to help extinguish fire in Paphos region pic.twitter.com/s7neqbAIty
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) June 20, 2016
Aircraft from Italy and France are also on their way to the island.
Cyprus has also reportedly asked Russia for help while Turkey says it has two helicopters ready to be used.
RAF Akrotiri
The Cypriot Forestry Department spokesman, Andreas Christou, is quoted in the Cyprus Mail saying:
"Forces are deployed around the perimeter of the fire. The main fronts [of the fire] are active, but because there is no windwe are making a great effort to extinguish the fronts."
The President of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, postponed a meeting on Tuesday with breakaway Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci as part of talks aiming to reunify the ethnically divided island so he can visit the affected areas.
Cyprus was split along ethnic lines following a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup.
Cover Image: Bell Griffin HAR.2
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