Cyprus Fire Service has stepped up patrols after a series of fires over the past 24 hours raised suspicions of arson, spokesman Andreas Kettis told Phileleftheros.
Kettis, who is also the Service’s district director in Larnaca, said that in addition to its scheduled patrols, it has added extra ones in some cases following incidents that raised suspicions of criminal activity. “We are out day and night,” he said, adding that reserve firefighters have also been called on to help, alongside permanent and regular hourly-paid staff.
On Saturday, the Fire Service formally addressed the incidents and appealed to the public to help prevent further cases. In a statement, it said the Department of Forests had already reported five forest fires breaking out one after another along the road from Prodromi to Arodes in the Paphos district, with serious suspicions of malicious acts behind them.
The Fire Service said it had also responded to a fire in the Meniko area and to a tip from a member of the public in Oroklini, Larnaca district, about people allegedly acting suspiciously and attempting to deliberately start a fire. It said it had intensified patrols in response and passed all information to police for further investigation. The Service urged residents who notice suspicious movements or actions suggesting an intent to start a fire to report them immediately to either the Fire Service or their nearest police station.
Police have already investigated the Oroklini report but found nothing to substantiate it, according to information received by Phileleftheros.
In its update covering the previous 24 hours, the Fire Service said it had responded to 42 incidents in total: 23 fires, 16 special assistance calls and three false alarms.
The Forestry Department said in a statement yesterday that the risk of forest fires breaking out and spreading remains at Red Alert level today, and urged the public to avoid activities that could start a fire.
