More than 90 per cent of wildfires in Cyprus appear to be caused by human activity, with a significant number of recent incidents believed to be the result of malicious actions, Chief Fire Officer and National Fire Coordinator Nikos Longinos said on Monday.
Speaking to CNA, Mr Longinos said authorities have recorded more than 1,450 countryside fires so far this year.
"Unfortunately, more than 90 per cent of fires appear to be caused by the human factor," he said.
"In recent days, however, it appears that fires are breaking out as a result of malicious actions. We are finding four or five separate ignition points within a distance of 500 metres."
Mr Longinos added that information provided by members of the public has proved valuable in identifying suspicious incidents.
"There are other cases that have been reported by citizens who have provided us with information. We would like to thank them, and these incidents are being investigated by the police," he said.
Suspicious fire at Prastio Kellakiou
Mr Longinos said a difficult wildfire broke out at around 3.50am on Monday in Prastio Kellakiou.
He said an immediate response was launched involving the Department of Forests, the Fire Service, Civil Defence, the Police and the Aerial Firefighting Unit.
"The aim was to contain the fire before it developed further. Given the time of day, it was a difficult incident," he said.
Fortunately, there were no strong winds in the area.
Mr Longinos said firefighting teams, supported by bulldozers and aircraft that were able to operate at first light, succeeded in bringing the fire under control during the early morning hours.
The CY Alert system was also activated.
"We informed nearby communities that evacuations might become necessary and, once we were satisfied that the fire was fully under control, a message was issued ending the alert," he said.
According to initial indications, the fire may have started in a refuse container.
"It appears that some members of the public may have disposed of charcoal in the bin together with other waste materials. The fire started there and spread into the countryside," he added.
Authorities remain on high alert
Asked about fire prevention measures, Mr Longinos said Cyprus must remain extremely vigilant as temperatures continue to rise.
"Fires are occurring daily for various reasons. As I have said, in most cases they are caused either by malicious actions or by human negligence," he said.
"We must remain constantly vigilant and prepared to respond to any incident."
He confirmed that patrols and drone operations remain in place across the island.
"Yesterday, a patrol detected a fire in a mountainous area. It was spotted by the Moniatis patrol unit," he said.
"We have issued instructions. Drones are flying, aerial assets are conducting continuous patrols while fully loaded, and in many cases we dispatch them directly to incidents while they are on patrol so that we can tackle fires at an early stage."
Mr Longinos said the objective is to prevent incidents from escalating, particularly during periods of strong winds.
"I hope there will be no incident that develops while strong winds are blowing, because that would make the situation far more difficult," he said.
Source: CNA
