The arrival of the ATF team (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) represents the initial phase of US support to the Republic of Cyprus in addressing the devastating wildfire in Limassol district, the US Embassy has said.
In a written statement to the Cyprus News Agency, it noted, however, that while their focus is on investigating the origin and spread of the fires, the Embassy remains committed to working closely with Republic of the Cyprus authorities to explore additional avenues of support, including broader disaster response and mitigation efforts.
"The United States stands ready to support the Republic of Cyprus in times of crisis," the statement said.
The Embassy said that this is a highly specialized team of ten American fire experts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that arrived in Cyprus on 6 August, at the invitation of President Nikos Christodoulides, to investigate the origin and spread of the devastating fires that occurred on 23-24 July, in the Limassol district.
The specialists, who are among the world’s leading fire investigators, have begun working in the field and will remain in Cyprus for at least 10 days to conduct field assessments, the Embassy said.
The experts have extensive experience investigating fires of a similar scale, including the Palisades fire that began in the Santa Monica Mountains in January of 2025, and have responded to many major fires in the United States and internationally, the statement reads.
The team will make an initial evaluation when its investigations are completed and will then deliver a detailed report to President Christodoulides after returning to the United States, the Embassy said.
(Source: CNA)
