Fire breaks out in Cyprus

British troops joined hundreds of Cypriot firefighters today to battle a major forest fire that raged out of control in the south of the island, gutting factories and houses.

"The place looks like a war zone. If not the biggest, this is definitely one of the trickiest fires to put out I have ever witnessed," said Rob Need, the spokesman of the British sovereign bases on Cyprus.

By tonight, the fire had reached within 10 miles of the port city of Limassol and the outskirts of the village of Alassa.

"A small village in the region is under threat and I can see at least one building on fire," Need said.

The village only 12 miles from of Episkopi-Akrotiri _ one of two bases that Britain retained on Cyprus after it granted independence to the island in 1960.

Cyprus police spokesman Charalambos Charlambous said the fire had already destroyed two factories and six houses. He said some animals were killed, but no people had been injured.

Five helicopters _ three Cypriot and two British _ were scooping water from the dam and dumping it on the flames, he said.

The British bases are invariably asked to assist when major forest fires break out, as often happens in the summer when temperatures can reach 43 C (110 F).