The charred body of the 63-year-old man who died in a massive fire at a polyurethane factory has been found on the ground floor of the premises.
Structural engineers began assessing the building’s safety at dawn, with firefighters waiting to recover the victim’s body once the structure is declared secure.
The blaze, which broke out around 8:30 am, destroyed the factory and several vehicles in the surrounding area.
Five people were in the building when the fire started, with four managing to escape from the first floor near the exit.
The survivors included the factory owner and three workers, one of whom suffered burns to his hand.
All four were taken to Larnaca General Hospital with respiratory problems, with the burn victim remaining under care.
The deceased, who was carrying out electrical repairs in a different part of the building, was unable to escape due to the fire’s rapid spread.
Senior officials, including Larnaca’s Police Director, members of the Criminal Investigation Department, the Kiti police station chief, Labour Inspection Department officials, and electricity authority representatives visited the scene.
The latter arranged for power to be cut off to the premises.
The fire raged until 3 pm, prompting a major operation by the Fire Service, which recalled off-duty personnel.
While the factory suffered extensive damage, firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading to neighbouring facilities.
Dense black smoke was visible for hours across Larnaca town and surrounding communities.
Roads leading to the factory were closed as a precautionary measure against potential explosions during the incident.
