Police have initially ruled out foul play in a fire that badly damaged a car rental office near Larnaca port in the early hours of Monday.
“A criminal act has been ruled out at a preliminary stage,” Larnaca police spokesman Spyros Chrysostomou said. The cause of the fire is still unknown, but it seems to have started inside the office.
The building has flats on its upper floors, which firefighters searched while tackling the blaze. They found no one trapped.
Officers from Larnaca CID, the Fire Service and the Electrical and Mechanical Services examined the scene. Evidence collected there will be sent for forensic tests.
The alarm was raised shortly after 2am. Police and firefighters rushed to the scene with three fire engines and brought the blaze under control at 3.11am.
The fire and heat caused extensive damage to the office, which belongs to a 52-year-old man. An electric bicycle and his personal belongings were destroyed inside.
Smoke also affected neighbouring premises, and three cars parked outside the office were damaged. The extent of the damage to the cars is not yet known.
