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Right after the mid-August holiday, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) will wrap up its investigation into the devastating wildfires in the Limassol mountains. The ten-member ATF team, which has been assisting Cyprus since early August, is expected to complete its work early next week. On August 18, it will present its preliminary findings to the President of the Republic during a scheduled meeting.
The fact-finding mission was launched after Christodoulides personally invited the ATF to help determine what caused the blaze and how it spiraled out of control. Cyprus covered the team’s lodging and other basic living expenses during their stay, while the U.S. government picked up the rest of the bill, including flights, transportation, and salaries.
According to information obtained by Kathimerini in an article by Yiannis Ioannou, the investigation focuses on both the causes of the blaze and how it spread, as well as an evaluation of the crisis management that allowed the fire to spiral out of control. The inferno claimed two lives, destroyed vast swaths of forest, and caused extensive property damage.
How the ATF worked
The ATF’s ten-member team includes three types of specialists: arson and accident investigators, forensic experts, and intelligence analysts.
Their primary mission is to determine exactly how the fire started and why it spread so rapidly, while also identifying what went wrong during the crisis response, whether in evacuation planning, firefighting coordination, or inter-agency cooperation. The ATF is set to submit a full, detailed report by mid-September, which will be made public. Based on the findings, the government plans to take corrective measures.
The ATF is the U.S. federal agency specializing in major fire, arson, and explosion investigations. Operating under the U.S. Department of Justice, it provides assistance to allied and partner nations as part of international cooperation efforts.
Sharing expertise
The ATF’s role in Cyprus will not end with its report. A “second phase” of collaboration is planned, focusing on training and knowledge transfer for first responders and crisis managers dealing with natural disasters. This will include:
- Interagency coordination for better crisis management in large-scale emergencies like wildfires.
- Training and certification programs to strengthen the capabilities of Cyprus’s Fire Service, Civil Defense, and other agencies.
- Structural reforms to establish a modern civil protection framework in Cyprus for strategic crisis management.
Well-informed sources say that, based on the ATF’s final report, concrete policy decisions on wildfire prevention and response will be made by the end of the year.
Cyprus is also a member of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and will seek its support, as the European Commission is already providing technical assistance through the TSI program. This program is expected to help transform Civil Defense into a Civil Protection authority and improve coordination among emergency services.
