EAC electricity network linked to at least five fires this year
The forestry department says the electricity network has caused at least five fires this year, although the situation has improved significantly.
Orounta, Cyprus. EAC cables have caused several fires in recent weeks, with the forestry department saying the electricity network was responsible for at least five fires this year. The department said the situation had nevertheless improved significantly.
Recent fires in Nicosia and Limassol districts
Early last week, sparks from EAC cables caused a fire in Orounta, in the Nicosia district. The blaze was brought under full control within an hour.
A week earlier, a wildfire broke out in the Trachoni area of Limassol. According to the fire department, initial indications suggested it started after a lorry came into contact with overhead electricity cables belonging to the EAC.
Previous incidents and disputed causes
Electricity cables have been linked to fires in previous years. In 2024, a series of fires in Psathi in Paphos, Fikaridou and Farmakas occurred within two weeks and were all linked to electricity cables.
Soon after the Farmakas fire broke out, the fire service attributed it to a short circuit at an electricity transformer in the area. The EAC promptly disputed this, saying electricity continued to flow through the power lines for hours after the blaze was noticed.
Following the fires, former Environmentalist Movement MP Charalambos Theopemptou publicly warned that bare and worn-out electricity cables running through forested areas posed a significant fire threat.
Paphos forest fire disrupted electricity supply
In July 2023, a fire in Elitzies in the Paphos forest prompted a similar dispute between the EAC and the forestry service. The forestry directorate unequivocally blamed a lack of maintenance of EAC installations, while the authority denied the accusations.
As a result, the Stavros tis Psokas forestry station had to rely on emergency generators for more than ten months. The EAC began cable replacement work approximately one year after the fire.
Short circuits cause 7 per cent of forest fires
Short circuits account for 7 per cent of forest fires.
“Short circuits in power cables have long been one of the causes of forest fires in Cyprus,” forestry department spokesperson Glafkos Kyriacou told the Cyprus Mail.
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