A Cyprus forestry department official says arson is suspected behind a fire that broke out in the forest area close to Agios Epifanios in early on Friday morning.
The blaze – which is believed to have started at around 6am in the reforestation area close to Agios Epifanios in the Nicosia district – is said to have destroyed around one-third of a donum but was luckily spotted soon and put out.
“The time at which the fire started is strange and, for us, also quite worrying,” Forestry Department Director Takis Tsintides told state radio on Friday morning.
“The fire started just before 6.30am in the same area where a big fire destroyed a large area of the forest some five years ago. Fortunately, the local Mukhtar managed to contain the fire before fire fighters from the Forestry Department were dispatched to the area to extinguish the flames.”
When asked about what could have caused the fire, Tsintides replied, “It is obviously too early to say but we are looking into the possibility that this fire was started deliberately.”
Last summer, two firefighters were killed after being crushed when his truck overturned as they tackled a large forest fire that tore through the Solea region of Troodos scorching some 19 square kilometres of trees and countryside.
Police say a 12-year-old boy was suspected of starting the fire with a lighter near his family’s holiday home.
Around 20 aircraft, including four planes and helicopters from Greece, France, Israel and the UK, had been sent to the island to help tackle the fire.
Back in 2007, another devastating forest fire that broke out in the Saittas area of Troodos, destroying 10 square kilometres of forest.
There are concerns that Cyprus could be unprepared for another devastating fire this summer, as the Forestry Department is continuing to struggle with under-funding and lack of staff.
The huge blaze in the Soleas region last June prompted expert committee to suggest ways to better handle forest fires.
However, as temperatures start to rise and with a fire having already broken out in the Nicosia region yesterday, the action plan has not been implemented.
“We are at the same level of preparedness as we were last year,” Tsintides told The Cyprus Weekly this week, adding that the cabinet is still reviewing recommendations submitted by the independent committee.
Vehicles destroyed in last year’s Soleas fire have not yet been replaced.
“We’ve asked for more fire-hose nozzle adapters to be installed along the water supply lines in the area – we’re still waiting,” said Spilia community leader Miltiades Ierides.