Kalo Chorio fire report due next week, Palmas orders

Local firefire serviceTop News Kalo Chorio fire report due next week, Palmas orders Fwtia3 1536x838 Relevant News Kalo Chorio fire report due next week, Palmas orders 31 July 2026 Could Cyprus host the Commonwealth Games? 31 July 2026 Mostly clear skies expected on Friday, temperatures up to 40 degrees 31 July 2026 Fanis Makrides 31 July 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas wants answers by the middle of next week on what caused the Kalo Chorio fire, ordering Brigadier Savvas Stefanou to submit a report on the incident together with the findings of an administrative investigation, Phileleftheros understands. The fire started during a controlled explosion of military ordnance at the Kalo Chorio firing range, carried out as part of a joint exercise involving a National Guard Engineering Corps unit and US forces. The administrative investigation aims to establish whether military officers face disciplinary or criminal responsibility, and to answer questions over why the controlled explosion escalated into a blaze that could have caused a tragedy, Phileleftheros understands. Palmas gave the instructions to avoid delays and to have the report on his desk within the week, sources told Phileleftheros, in an effort to start getting answers. Was the ground prepared? The question is no longer whether protocols permit activity at firing ranges during the summer months, according to sources close to the investigation. What is now at issue is the conditions under which the controlled explosion took place, specifically whether adequate preparation was carried out beforehand, and whether the fire resulted from measures that were not taken. A source with expertise in this type of explosion told Phileleftheros that specific actions should have been taken given the prevailing conditions. “There were warnings from the Department of Meteorology during this period,” the source said, adding that the National Guard General Staff recommends avoiding such exercises during the summer months regardless of the day’s temperature. The source added that specific measures should have been taken in advance, with preparation carried out the day before. Key questions include whether the area was cleared, whether a trench was excavated, or whether the warheads were exploded on the ground surface, and whether crews carried out earthworks around the site to create a safety distance from the blast. These are the key questions expected to be answered by the middle of next week, and which will determine any responsibility attributed to officers, Phileleftheros sources said. The EOD unit and the 70th Engineering Battalion Monday’s exercise was not a routine one. A report published the previous day by the website dialogos.com.cy said the destruction of RPG warheads was carried out as part of a joint exercise between the National Guard and US military forces. Phileleftheros did not see that report denied during the day and, according to reliable sources, it is now an accepted fact. Phileleftheros understands the National Guard’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit, a specialist team under the Engineering Corps, carried out the joint exercise together with US soldiers. They destroyed six anti-tank RPG warheads in the explosion, which senior officers of the Cypriot military observed. Sources said the Foreign Ministry played a role in the exercise, having issued a relevant instruction. Palmas to meet community leaders Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas is expected to visit the area affected by the fire this morning at 10:00, where he will meet community leaders from affected villages to discuss their long-standing concerns over the operation of the Kalo Chorio firing range, Phileleftheros understands. The fire broke out at 12:40pm last Monday at the Kalo Chorio firing range and spread to burn 120 hectares (1.2 square kilometres) of wild vegetation before being brought under control the same evening. The blaze spread rapidly beyond the firing range towards the Agia Anna area and other communities, forcing evacuations and causing damage. Authorities evacuated Agia Anna and Psevdas as a precaution. A standing order and a possible loophole Firing to continue throughout August A National Guard General Staff directive states that firing-range activities like Monday’s should be avoided from May until the end of summer. Yet the exercise went ahead with the General Staff’s permission, and senior military officers took part in it. Seeking clear answers on whether the permit should have been granted, Phileleftheros was told the answer cannot be a simple yes or no. Sources said Monday’s exercise took place at a temperature that was not prohibitive, complied with protocol on temperature provisions, had National Guard General Staff approval, and was known to the chief of the National Guard. In a report published two days earlier, philenews journalist Andreas Poyiatzis wrote that the standing order in force every year for the summer months states that “no firing will be carried out if the temperature exceeds 38 degrees Celsius” without prior approval from the National Guard General Staff. According to National Guard General Staff sources cited by Poyiatzis, the 70th Engineering Battalion secured the necessary approvals, since the temperature during the day and at the time of the incident, between 12:00 and 13:00, did not exceed 38 degrees Celsius. At that specific time, the temperature stood at 34 degrees, according to meteorological data for that day. A firefighting unit was also present at the site, the report noted. MP Aristos Damianou, speaking on Astra radio yesterday, voiced concern, citing accounts from community leaders in the wider area who, he said, “were duly informed by local authorities that exercises are scheduled at a nearby firing range” throughout August. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Could Cyprus host the Commonwealth Games? 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