Brigadier Savvas Stefanou’s report into the fire at the Kalo Chorio firing range could be handed in as early as today, philenews has learned. The blaze broke out on July 27 during a National Guard training exercise and spread to threaten the communities of Agia Anna and Psevda.
Report to go to Chief, then minister
The report will first be passed to Chief of National Guard Emmanouil Theodorou and later to Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas. Investigators are seeking to establish whether senior officers bear responsibility for the decision to carry out the exercise during a period of high temperatures. The report also takes into account the temperatures recorded that day, which did not exceed 38 degrees Celsius.
70th Battalion in focus
As previously reported, the National Guard General Staff had approved the exercise. Attention is expected to focus on the 70th Engineer Battalion, which carried out the exercise in the presence of three US military personnel. The exercise formed part of the battalion’s certification process, to confirm its ability to destroy specific munitions using a particular method. The investigating officer took a large number of statements last week and has requested additional clarifications in order to reach firm conclusions.
Defence Committee to take up case
At a political level, the matter will also be examined by parliament’s Defence Committee, which may call Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas to give evidence. ALMA leader Odysseas Michaelides and Nicosia MP Irene Charalambides have submitted a motion to the committee calling for an ex officio investigation into the circumstances of the fire at the Kalo Chorio firing range.
