Military sorry over Kalo Chorio fire

The defence minister and the National Guard chief on Friday both apologised to residents of the area surrounding the Kalo Chorio firing range near Limassol over Monday’s fire sparked by a military exercise that destroyed 1.2 square kilometres and prompted evacuations.

Lieutenant General Emmanuel Theodorou also confirmed the exercise, which involved the destruction of ordinance, was carried out jointly “with an allied country” and pledged that rules and procedures would be tightened to prevent any such recurrence in the future. Reports suggest the exercise was carried out with US forces.

Theodorou was speaking at a news conference at the defence ministry in Nicosia following a visit earlier Friday along with the minister Vassilis Palmas to meet the community leaders in the area of the controversial firing range.

Both apologised repeatedly to the residents who were angered by what they see as the latest in a long history of incidents related to the shooting range that includes not just brushfires but other incidents they say endangers their villages.

Palmas told reporters the meeting with community leaders earlier on Friday had been constructive and friendly.

“A roadmap had been drawn up and some measures will be taken immediately for the safety of the residents of the area,” Palmas said. The minister also said the residents would be compensated for the damage caused by the blaze. A new meeting has been set with them to review progress, he added, thanking the communities for their cooperation.

Palmas further promised to brief the president on their request that the firing range be moved from Kalo Chorio, a long-standing demand by the communities.

On his part, Theodorou said: “This was a planned training event involving the neutralisation of explosives and was known in all communities in cooperation with an allied country and which was planned some time ago.”

He said the National Guard had issued a timely announcement about the activity “as it does for any other activity”, which concerns live-fire exercises in a specific area.

During the news conference, Thedorou issued repeated apologies to the residents of the areas affected by the fire and referred to measures discussed with local authorities in order to prevent a recurrence.

As part of these measures, he added, it was agreed with the communities that the National Guard would inform them “thoroughly, in detail, about every activity.”

The army would also review the standing orders and the limits within which certain activities are permitted within specific areas.

“You understand that certain types of shootings are necessary, they must be done in order for us to maintain our combat capability,” he said, adding that conscripts recently enlisted must also train in order to be able to smoothly integrate into the National Guard.

“As the National Guard, we have undertaken the maintenance and expansion of the fire safety zones of the firing range since everything that happens there directly concerns us,” Theodorou said.

“We are examining whether and to what extent we will place permanent surveillance at the firing range either through a physical presence or with cameras,” he added.

Responding to a question about whether the risks were known earlier and whether measures could have been taken before the exercise, he said: “The National Guard does many dangerous things, every incident, if you like, can be a lesson so that we can tighten up or rule out the possibility of a new incident like this.”

Theodorou deflected comments related to criticism of the defence ministry saying that the ministry “cannot institutionally or practically, know every activity of the National Guard”.

“Whether it should or should not have been done on that particular day and what ultimately went wrong in the field will be shown by the investigation, which is currently underway,” he said.

Results of the investigation are expected in the middle of next week, Palmas said.

The Alma party on Friday accused Palmas of trying to shift the real responsibility for Monday’s fire from senior levels of the National Guard to the 70th Engineers Battalion, which conducted the exercise.

Reports on Friday also suggested the foreign ministry had been involved and aware of it.