The exact point of origin of the fire in the mountainous area of Limassol and its causes have been identified by a team of experts from the United States specialising in fire investigation, who are expected to deliver their official report within the next two weeks, according to Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis.
Speaking after President Christodoulides' 18 August meeting with the ATF team at the Presidential Palace, on Monday, Letymbiotis said that the report would form the basis of the Government's assessment for the next steps to be taken.
He noted that the ATF experts, a specialised team in fire investigation that reports directly to the US Department of Justice, has carried out similar missions in 44 countries, “precisely to offer their technical knowledge and expertise.”
He added that they gave a detailed presentation to the President of the Republic on the methodology they have followed, a "detailed timetable” with information obtained from all the services involved, as well as from personal interviews they had conducted and additional information they had requested during their stay in Cyprus, while having utilised all the possibilities offered by technology through the information at their disposal, through simulations and daily site visits.
"What emerges from today's presentation is that they have identified the exact point of origin of the fire and its causes, and within the next two weeks they are expected to prepare and deliver to the President of the Republic their official detailed report, which will form the basis of the Government's assessment for the next steps," said the Spokesperson.
Asked whether there were one or two points of origin, he said that what had been identified through the “highly scientific methods” they had followed and the detailed presentation they had made to the President of the Republic "shows that there was one source, one point where the fire started."
Asked about the causes, Letymbiotis said that we should wait for the final report to be delivered.
To a question whether the experts referred to Cyprus and any shortcomings to be improved, the Spokesperson said that this would be the next stage, adding that "on the basis of these findings, a thorough assessment of everything that happened that day can be made, everything we have at our disposal as the Republic, taking into account the circumstances and challenges that, due to climatic conditions, we as the European Union and the Republic of Cyprus must assess and make the most of.”
Asked whether the next stage includes an assessment of the management and whether another team will be sent, Letymbiotis urged to wait for the official report first.
He noted that the findings of the official report and what the President of the Republic has heard to date, “what they have identified, but also the adequacy of what has been said to the President of the Republic, will form a very good basis for evaluating our next steps”. He added that based on the report, there will be announcements “after it has been studied, regarding our next steps.”
Asked if the report would be made public, the Spokesperson said that “this is the intention of the President of the Republic, of course, after it has been examined to ensure that it does not contain personal data. But of course, as with previous reports, it will be made public.”
To a question whether the Government has appealed to the EU for compensation for the damage caused by the fires, the Spokesperson said that the process had been initiated from the outset and that the Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Marilena Raouna, had been appointed as coordinator of the relevant ministries so that the necessary information could be gathered.
He added that more than three coordination meetings have been held to date at ministerial and officials’ level, and that contact persons have been appointed by each competent ministry and service to ensure that the process is completed as quickly as possible and with the necessary efficiency to gather this information. “We are, of course, in contact with the relevant Directorate”, he said.
Raouna herself, he further noted, “had been in contact from the outset with the Office of the President of the European Commission, precisely in order to provide the necessary information and to ensure that we are in line with the timetable set by the European Union so that we can submit our request.”
(Source: CNA)
