Fires claim victims throughout Balkans

23/06/2008

NICOSIA, Cyprus -- A Cypriot police officer died on Sunday (June 22nd) while trying to save residents of a building from an approaching forest fire. The blaze started in the mountainous region of Trodos and quickly reached the village of Sina Oros. The 25-year-old police officer was off duty at the time. At least four people suffered injuries while trying to put out the flames. A fire last week injured 12 police officers and one civilian, forced the evacuation of six villages and causing significant property damage. Cyprus has been experiencing extremely hot weather for the past week with temperatures reaching 42 degrees Celsius.

In Serbia, meanwhile, three people died and eight suffered injuries Sunday when flames swept through a residential building in the town of Pancevo, north of Belgrade. Firemen found the bodies of two women and a 2-year-old child on the stairs after extinguishing the flames. Faulty electrical wiring may have caused the fire.

In Bulgaria, three people died in a fire in downtown Sofia early Monday. The victims were two men and a 9-year-old child, whose mother received severe burns. She is in hospital in critical condition. (Politika, Actualno - 23/06/08; ANP, Famagusta Gazette, AP, Tanjug - 22/06/08)