Cyprus fire outbreak: Two fire fighters who lost their lives trying to control the blaze, laid to rest

Cyprus: Andreas Sophocleous, the second firefighter who died at the age of 49 after he lost his life while battling the forest fire outbreak in Cyprus has been laid to rest on Thursday.

Sophocleous's funeral was held at the Ioannis Chrysostomos church in Lakatamia in Nicosia with Cyprus president, Nicos Anastasiades and government officials in attendance.

Sophocleous and his 44 year old colleague Marios Aristotelous, were declared national heroes after their deaths on Monday June 20 when their truck tumbled into a ditch while fighting the fires in the Solea area.
Sophocleous leaves behind a wife and five children.
AKEL MP Irini Charalambidou in an eulogy to the deceased, commended his dedication to his profession, recalling that Sophocleous took part as a volunteer to battle the huge blaze in Greece in 2007, even at a time when his wife Maria was pregnant.

“Children of Andreas, be proud of your father,” she concluded.

On Thursday, the House plenum observed a minute’s silence in honour of the two firefighters.
The first victims of the fire outbreak, Aristotelous was buried on Wednesday.
Residents of Larnaca lit candles on the Phinikoudes strip in memory of the two men on Wednesday.
Source: Cyprus Mail