A 71-year-old man who was arrested in connection with a fire that broke out in Pelathousa earlier this week has been released without charge, police said late on Wednesday.

The suspect was arrested on Tuesday as part of an investigation into the Paphos village fire after authorities said they suspected arson.

However, there was not enough evidence against him, and the man was discharged.

A witness had testified to seeing the pensioner, who owns land in the area, driving by at the time when the fire broke out.

Other than this initial testimony, no additional evidence was obtained, police said, adding that investigations into the causes of the fire continue.

The fire broke out around 2pm on Monday and was brought under control by around 7.30pm that evening after burning 1.5km of dry grass, wild vegetation and trees. The fire’s focal point was an illegal fly-tip in the area.

Some residents had to evacuate their homes, while the blaze caused extensive damage to the house of Cypriot filmmaker Panicos Chrysanthou, including his physical archive.