(Nicosia) Planes dispatched by Greece and Jordan are helping Cyprus fight a major forest fire in the west of the island that started from an illegal dump, Cypriot authorities said on Wednesday.

The fire broke out on Tuesday east of the village of Giolou, triggering a national emergency plan which led Civil Defense to evacuate five threatened mountain villages.

Two water bombers from the Royal Jordanian Air Force and two Greek planes were deployed on Wednesday to fight the fire, authorities said.

Fire chief Nicos Logginos told public radio on Wednesday that seven planes, including two Canadairs from Greece, were flying over the active fronts.  

Due to the rugged terrain, the affected area is difficult to access, he added.

He said police had evidence that the fire started from an illegal dump.

More than 300 people, including fire crews, supported by bulldozers, are working to secure the fire perimeter. Around 48 people evacuated from the fire zone were taken to hotels, according to local daily Kathimerini Cyprus.

A number of houses suffered significant damage or were destroyed, according to fire spokesman Andreas Kettis, but the extent of the damage has not yet been determined.

Later on Wednesday, Mr. Kettis wrote on

President Nikos Christodoulides returned earlier than expected from a summit on humanitarian aid for Jordan’s Gaza Strip, during which he requested, during a meeting with King Abdullah II, additional air support to fight against the flames.

The community leader of a village near Giolou, Kyriakos Charalambous, lamented in comments to the official CNA news agency that it had taken “too long” for aerial firefighting units to arrive .

Forest fires often break out in Cyprus during the sweltering summer months on the island which suffers from a severe lack of rainfall.

The meteorology department has issued a yellow alert for Wednesday, with maximum temperatures expected to reach 41 degrees Celsius.

Last Friday, Cyprus recorded its hottest day in June, with temperatures reaching an unprecedented 44 degrees Celsius, the department said.