MPs press for relocation of Kalo Chorio firing range after July wildfire

MPs on the House defence committee demanded on Thursday the government find new sites for the Kalo Chorio firing range in Larnaca, citing risks to nearby homes and a wildfire in July that forced villagers to flee. Committee chairman and Elam MP Evgenios Chamboulas, said the state had failed to plan where military facilities should be situated. He called for the defence and interior ministries to agree a joint approach covering location and safety rules, and said a protection zone around camps was essential. He said it was inconceivable that no protection zone existed, and that homes had been built next to camps and ranges under pressure, with demands then made for them to be removed. Chamboulas acknowledged that the concerns of the neighbouring communities were understandable and called for a detailed examination and a comprehensive settlement. A fire broke out at the Kalo Chorio firing range on July 27 during a munition destruction carried out by the National Guard which subsequently spread to Ayia Anna and Psevdas, where both villages were evacuated. About 350 residents of Ayia Anna were taken to a temporary shelter, and around 1.2 square kilometres were burned. Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas blamed the 70th Engineer Battalion and said heavy weapons explosions are strictly prohibited in summer. Disy MP Prodromos Alampritis said residents experienced “unprecedented moments” and asked the ministry to study whether the range could move. He said communities were evacuated and property put at risk after the exercise, and that the anxiety of residents and community leaders had been conveyed to the committee. He said MPs understood the security needs of the country and the National Guard’s need to train, but still urgently asked for another location to be studied. He requested extra security measures for the nearby Tremithos area in the meantime. He said the defence ministry and the National Guard must take all measures to protect residents. Akel MP Andreas Pasiourtides said the range, which has operated for fifty years, should be moved as homes in the surrounding communities are so close that “a huge danger is created”. He recalled projectiles or fragments falling in schoolyards, on buildings and in stadiums, and said the risks were now much greater than in the past. He said Akel supports the communities’ demands, with a political decision to move taken first and a roadmap to follow. He accepted that a move could not happen overnight, but said all measures must be taken and monitored in the meantime to prevent another fire. “No one can be sure that other incidents will not occur again,” he said. Palmas had previously insisted in August that relocating Kalo Chorio was not possible for now. The range was already under scrutiny after 13.6 kilograms of explosives disappeared in January during an exercise.