Fatal wildfire on Cyprus caused by ‘carelessly discarded cigarette,’ report finds
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — One of Cyprus’ most devastating wildfires in recent memory was caused by a cigarette discarded by the side of a mountain road, a report by U.S. experts said Thursday.
The report by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) concluded that the “accidental” cause of the fire was a “carelessly discarded cigarette coming into contact with dry vegetation.”
The fire in July near the coastal town of Limassol claimed the lives of two people, wrecked 700 structures and scorched more than 100 square kilometers (40 square miles).
The ATF report said that a search of the area where the wildfire initially ignited revealed several cigarette butts strewn on the ground by the side of a road connecting the mountain villages of Malia and Arsos. Investigators noted that the environmental conditions at the time were “extremely favorable to any ignition, including the ignition from carelessly discarded smoking materials.”
Strong winds, low humidity and temperatures reaching 39 degrees Celsius (102.2 degrees Fahrenheit) at the time had made the likelihood of ignition 100%, according to the experts who also took into account witness statements, video and photographs as well as the input of Cyprus Fire Service investigators.
The ATF team visited the east Mediterranean island to conduct their 10-day investigation at the request of President Nikos Christodoulides.
More than 250 firefighters and 14 aircraft struggled to contain the wildfire that burned across multiple fronts on hilly terrain over two days. At the time, the government said the combination of strong winds, high temperatures and very arid conditions after three winters of minimal rainfall created a perfect storm at the wildfire’s peak.
An elderly couple died while trying to flee the fast-moving flames in their car that fire crews found at the side of a mountain road leading to Limassol.
Publication of the ATF report coincided with the release of a study showing how climate change that has driven scorching temperatures and dwindling rainfall made wildfires in Turkey, Greece and Cyprus this summer burn much more fiercely.
The World Weather Attribution study said the fires that killed 20 people, forced 80,000 to evacuate and burned more than 1 million hectares (2.47 million acres) were 22% more intense in 2025, Europe’s worst recorded year of wildfires.
By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS
Associated Press
