Police are searching for the men who were cutting large pieces of iron with an angle grinder in the Agios Mamas and Limnatis area of the Limassol district when a fire broke out. Lania Police Station and the Limassol Criminal Investigation Department (CID) are leading the investigation.
According to information gathered by philenews, investigators examining the site found angle grinder cutting discs, which they collected as evidence. The same source indicates that unknown individuals had gone to the site to cut large pieces of iron into smaller sections, intending to load them onto a vehicle and transport them away. Because the area has no electricity supply, authorities believe a battery-powered grinder was used.
A person working at a nearby building site alerted the Fire Service. According to the same information, that person heard voices while working, then went outside and saw the fire had broken out. He tried to put it out but could not, as the fire had already spread.
When the fire broke out, the men carrying out the cutting work left the area. Police are continuing their search to identify them, and expect to take statements from anyone who may have noticed their presence in the area or the vehicle they were using.
Glafkos Kyriakou, spokesman for the Forestry Department, said all evidence gathered so far points to the fire having been caused by sparks generated during the use of the grinder. The “ground zero” of the fire has been identified as the site where the iron-cutting work was taking place, he said. That finding, he added, strengthens the likelihood the fire was caused by sparks from the tool.
According to a statement from the Forestry Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, the fire broke out at 11:15am at the “Anentrada” location, within the administrative boundaries of the Agios Mamas community in the Limassol district. The fire was brought under full control at 12:40pm, after burning around one and a half hectares of agricultural crops and low wild vegetation.
The Forestry Department deployed 45 members with seven fire engines, one tanker and one bulldozer to the firefighting operation. The Fire Service sent 17 members with five fire engines, two tankers and three bulldozers, while the District Administration contributed eight staff with four fire engines. Six Civil Defence members and five Republic aircraft also took part.
