An investigation has been launched after a 39-year-old detainee allegedly set fire to a cell at Limassol police headquarters on Thursday, assistant police director Lefteris Kyriakou said on Friday.

“We are awaiting the findings of the relevant services to determine the cause of the fire in this detention facility,” he said.

According to Kyriakou, the building remains out of service and has been inspected by police, as well as by the electrical and mechanical services and the public works department.

Preliminary findings suggest the fire started from a mattress inside the cell where the detainee was being held alone.

“Due to the smoke, which spread throughout the detention area, the facility had to be evacuated. Our personnel immediately implemented the evacuation plan, and all detainees were moved to a designated safe area,” he said.

The facility remains closed, though efforts to reopen it are already underway.

“It will take a few days to inspect all ventilation systems and repair the damage, mainly caused by smoke. The facility will reopen as soon as possible,” Kyriakou said.

Asked whether all necessary checks had been carried out when the detainee was admitted earlier on Thursday, Kyriakou said this issue is central to the ongoing investigation.

The detainee had appeared before the Paphos court on Thursday morning, where he was remanded in custody ahead of trial in a separate case. He later attempted to escape but was immediately apprehended by police and transferred to Limassol police headquarters.

As a result of the fire, the detainee sustained severe burns over much of his body. He was taken to hospital under police guard and later transferred to the burn unit in Nicosia, where he remains in a serious condition.

“Two other detainees who were having breathing difficulties were taken to the hospital, as were four of our colleagues who had entered the holding cells and were experiencing breathing difficulties due to the smoke, (..) all received first aid and have been released,” Kyriacou said.

At the time of the incident, the facility – which has a capacity of 34 detainees – was housing 42.