Possible suspect questioned in Lofou wildfire

A fire that broke out Saturday and was contained Sunday could be the work of an arsonist, according to officials who are reportedly questioning a person of interest.

Just before midnight Saturday night, around 11:30pm, a wildfire fire broke out in Limassol district between Lofou and Agios Therapondas. According to Reporter, authorities were questioning a man to ascertain whether he could be the suspect in the apparent arson.

Fire department officials quickly pointed out that the fire had broken out in an area which is very difficult to access, with strong winds in the area making the task of fire fighters even more difficult in the early morning hours on Sunday.

Five planes joined a dozen fire trucks from Limassol and Paphos while manpower from Nicosia and Larnaca was also sent to help contain the fire, which was contained Sunday noon after burning 1.5 square kilometres of wild vegetation.

Frequent arson attacks with sinister motives

Back in August, links were drawn between fires in the Tilliria region and disgruntled candidates who were rejected as retained fire fighters by the Forestry department.

Sources told media a series of Tilliria fires were linked to the hiring of retained fire fighters on a temporary basis, a part-time job with pay and benefits that could last several months in a year.

And in September, a Nicosia district court judge heard about a vendetta between a local shepherd suspected of arson and the Forest department, including threats he had made in early September.

Reports said the shepherd had previous encounters with police, regarding incidents where he hurled insults at public officials and trespassed in a national park.

Forest officials reportedly had told the shepherd to refrain from letting his animals graze on state land.