A fire which broke out near Kourris dam around overnight was brought under complete control with police stating that evidence of criminal action is being investigated.
Speaking on CyBC’s morning programme, police spokesman Christos Andreou said information had been received about a truck in the area immediately before the fire’s outbreak but declined to give more detail saying it was premature.
The fact that the fire broke out overnight was suspicious and signals it was maliciously set, he said.
The fire broke out in a hard-to-access area below the dam, south of Kourion and north of Erimi. Authorities struggled to contain it under the prevailing conditions of darkness and strong winds. They succeeded in doing so by 9pm.
Fire department spokesman Andres Kettis said in a post on X that five fire trucks were in the area, including one from the forestry department.
The fire burned an area of dry grass, wild vegetation and trees in the riverbed.
A second fire on Tuesday in Pallodia was put out promptly, having burned 15 square kilometers.
Earlier on Monday a fire which broke out around 1pm in Paphos near the village of Droushia was later determined to have started from a roadside ditch, also prompting police investigation into possible malicious intent.
Minister of Justice Marios Hartsiotis also visited the scene of the Kouris fire on Thursday afternoon to be informed by the fire chief.
Police patrols in the areas of Paphos and Limassol have been stepped up in view of the fact that all three fires broke out during cooler temperature conditions and on days when strong winds were predicted, strengthening suspicion of deliberate acts.
