NICOSIA, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus firefighters managed to contain a big forest fire on Monday morning, allowing the return of residents to their homes in two villages astride a highway between the capital Nicosia and the southern city port of Limassol.

A fire department spokesman said the fire halfway between Nicosia and Limassol was brought under control at dawn and authorities gave permission for the return of the inhabitants of two villages which had been evacuated overnight.

The spokesman said the fire raged out of control for 15 hours and burned down 13 square kilometers of forest.

The flames were stopped a few hundred meters from the UNESCO World Heritage site of Choirokitia, described as one of the world's oldest and most important Paleolithic settlements, as it is a landmark of the evolution of human society in the eastern Mediterranean region.

However, strong winds early on Monday caused another fire which had been brought under control overnight to rekindle, forcing several hundred villagers to leave their homes.

The spokesman said there was an imminent danger of the flames spreading into the mountain village, about 30 kilometers to the west of Limassol. Enditem

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