Two discarded cigarettes were, according to American experts from the AFT, the cause of the deadly fire that swept through mountainous Limassol, on July 23 and 24, 2025, as stated in their report, which was made public on 28 August by the government.
The report noted that the investigation carried out demonstrates "with absolute clarity" both the intensity of the fire’s spread and the cause of its ignition.
As mentioned, the cause was attributed to the careless disposal of a cigarette that came into contact with dry vegetation. “The cause of the fire was a carelessly discarded cigarette coming into contact with dry vegetation", the report reads, classifying the fire as accidental.
Two cigarette butts found in the ignition area, one of which showed thermal alterations, were collected by the investigators, recorded as evidence, and handed over to the Cypriot authorities.
The report highlighted the speed of the fire’s development: at 13:26 the only ignition point measured approximately 1 meter high and 3 meters wide, while just 17 minutes later, at 13:43, it had already expanded to 1.5 hectares (15,000 m²). Within 29 minutes of the first report, at 13:55, the burned area had reached 2 hectares (20,000 m²) and the flames had already entered the village of Malia.
The topography of the area played a catalytic role, it is added, as it allowed the fire to spread in all directions, regardless of the main wind direction. “Strong winds, combined with local patterns created by the terrain, led to a spread rate of 60–63 meters per minute, multiplying both the intensity and the danger,” the report states.
According to the report, the probability of ignition was calculated at 100%, based on the environmental conditions recorded before the outbreak: high temperature (39°C), extremely low humidity (19%), prolonged drought, and winds reaching 9 on the Beaufort scale. “These are conditions considered extremely favourable for any ignition, including from careless disposal of a cigarette,” it noted.
The ignition point was pinpointed to an area of 30x30 centimetres on the edge of the Malia–Arsos road.
Based on systematic on-site investigation, analysis of testimonies, videos, and photographs, as well as the evaluation of meteorological data, the investigators concluded that the wildfire in Limassol started on the eastern side of the road connecting Malia with Arsos.
The report consists of 46 pages and includes maps, resident testimonies, service reports, as well as the process followed by the ATF experts in their investigation.
According to the report, the scope of the ATF’s investigation was to determine the origin and cause of the fire. The Eratosthenes Centre of Excellence provided detailed mapping of the burned area using high-resolution satellite imagery, which showed that the total burned area was approximately 104 sq. km, corresponding to 1.3% of the island’s total area.
The investigators noted that during the on-site inspection, "the area was littered with a large amount of garbage that appears to have been dumped out over a long period of time" including household appliances, tires, bottles, clothes, and other debris.
The report stated that the experts ruled out a number of other possible causes of the fire, including refraction, lightning, fireworks, explosives, equipment use, and incendiary. Garbage was also considered as a possible cause but was excluded, although it is mentioned that a nearby fire one week earlier may have been caused either by garbage or by a cigarette discarded by someone dumping garbage.
No evidence was found to support any of the excluded theories.
After narrowing down the ignition area to a spot measuring 30 x 30 cm at the roadside between Malia and Arsos, investigators systematically examined it with magnifying lenses in search of possible ignition sources. "A search of the ignition area revealed several cigarette butts with one cigarette butt exhibiting minor thermal damage while another one exhibited severe thermal damage and was heavily impacted by fire", the report read, adding that "although there was a large amount of cigarette butts present in the area, not all of the cigarette butts had thermal damage to them or in the nearby vegetation".
Consequences of the fire
The reports also recorded the damages caused by the fire. According to Cyprus' police there were two fatalities associated with the fire and four injuries.
According to the Interior Ministry, the fire caused 224 homes completely burned, 308 partially damaged, 83 warehouses completely destroyed, 30 partially damaged, 15 businesses completely burned, 14 partially damaged, 35 other buildings burned or partially damaged (17 fully, 18 partially) and 300 vehicles damaged.
