Arsos fire burns five hectares as police examine possible arson

Arsos, Cyprus. A fire that broke out on Thursday burned about five hectares of dry grass, wild vegetation, waste materials and large piles of rubbish in Arsos. The blaze was brought under full control at 6pm.

Investigation

Community leader Yiannakis Yiannakis said on Friday that he had not ruled out the possibility that the fire was started maliciously.

He said that pallet loads of clothing compressed into cubes had allegedly recently been transported to the old garbage dump.

“We located, in a box and in an envelope, logos of two companies, which we forwarded to the police for investigation,” Yiannakis said. He added that the material would be analysed to determine whether it was connected to the fire.

Firefighting response

The fire brigade was called to the scene at about 3pm on Thursday.

Eight fire engines responded, supported by six vehicles from the forestry department.