NICOSIA, Cyprus — The Cypriot defense minister is demanding answers after National Guard engineers ignored safety regulations and detonated discarded ammunition, triggering a rapidly spreading brushfire on the island’s southern coast.
Defense Minister Vassilis Palmas described his “intense dissatisfaction and strong irritation” following the incident, in which an engineering battalion destroyed six rocket-propelled grenade projectiles at the Kalo Chorio firing range — right in the heart of summer fire season.
Palmas said he launched the investigation to find out why the rounds were set off “under these conditions of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) even as such explosions of heavy weaponry during the summer months are prohibited.”
“You understand that I will act with all the severity that is provided for under such circumstances,” Palmas told reporters.
Roughly 100 firefighters, aided by eight aircraft, eventually brought the fire under control after it charred approximately 120 hectares — about 300 acres — of wild vegetation. Two small communities near the fire’s path were evacuated as a precaution, though no homes or other structures were damaged.
Palmas noted that clear protocols exist governing when and how such weapons can be disposed of, and said the engineering battalion would “logically” have been in communication with National Guard Command before proceeding. The investigation aims to determine exactly how the incident unfolded, with a report expected within the next couple of weeks.
Dry winters and blistering summers in recent years have turned the eastern Mediterranean island nation into a fire-prone landscape. Just one year ago, Cyprus endured one of its most destructive wildfires in recent memory, which killed an elderly couple in their vehicle as they attempted to flee the fast-moving flames along a mountain road.
A regional firefighting coordination hub has been established on Cyprus, which is also intended to help neighboring Middle Eastern countries respond to major wildfire emergencies.
