Investigation into the Kalo Chorio wildfire concludes

A police investigation into the wildfire that broke out on July 27, 2026, at the Kalo Chorio military firing range in Larnaca has concluded. The blaze, which occurred during a National Guard ammunition destruction exercise, burned approximately 120 hectares of land and threatened the villages of Agia Anna and Psevdas, triggering one of the district's largest emergency responses of the year. The Ministry of Defence has pledged to compensate for all damages caused by the fire.

The official investigative report, led by Brigadier Savvas Stefanou, has reportedly found no evidence of criminal responsibility, though it does attribute disciplinary negligence to specific National Guard personnel, particularly within the 70th Engineer Battalion. The Chief and Deputy Chief of the National Guard were excluded from the investigation due to the scope of the investigator's authority. The case file has been submitted to the police headquarters and is expected to be forwarded to the Legal Service for a final determination on potential criminal charges.

Due to the mid-August holiday period, significant updates or decisions from the Legal Service are not anticipated until the following week. Meanwhile, local communities have renewed their formal requests to have the firing range relocated.