Α team of 10 US government experts are to arrive in Cyprus today, 6 August, following a request by Nicosia for help in investigating and assessing the management of the recent wildfires in the Limassol mountain region.
The news was announced by President Nikos Christodoulides ahead of a Council of Ministers meeting, calling on all state services involved to fully cooperate with them.
President Christodoulides told his ministers that he received a positive response by the US government to his request for assistance. The 10 experts, he added, have previously handled the catastrophic fires in California and Hawaii, among other.
“They will investigate and evaluate how the recent fires were managed,” he said, adding that their mission includes investigating the causes of the fire, how it spread; the firefighting effort and generally the measures taken to deal with it. He said the team is to submit a report to him, with documented suggestions for any improvements, if necessary, based on their own investigations.
The President is also scheduled to meet with them during their time in Cyprus.
President Christodoulides asked the Cabinet members to convey to the competent services that he expects full cooperation with the team. “They are coming here to help us,” he pointed out.
Deputy Government Spokesperson, Yiannis Antoniou, previously told CNA that members of the US Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) unit, were expected to arrive in Cyprus following a request by President Christodoulides to assist in the investigation and assessment of the management of the recent wildfires in the mountainous area of Limassol.
