Representatives of Larnaca communities near the Kalo CHorio firing range on Tuesday expressed their concern over its continued operation, stressing that the safety of residents must be prioritised and was “non-negotiable”.

In a meeting held following a fire last week that broke out at the site and spread to neighbouring villages, the representatives discussed the safety of residents and their properties, as well as the protection of the environment.

They said that “in addition to ashes and cinders”, the fire had left behind “many questions that the authorities must answer”.

“We have received several promises from the minister and the chief [of the National Guard], all these issues were discussed,” said Tremithos community leader Stavroulla Vassiliou, referring to a meeting held last week with Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas and National Guard chief Lieutenant General Emmanuel Theodorou.

She said a second meeting with the minister has been scheduled for mid-September to decide how to proceed and emphasised throughout that resident safety must remain non-negotiable.

“We have been informed that MPs will also register the issue in parliament, so we will wait for the results from there as well,” she said.

The fire at the Kalo Chorio firing range broke out following a national guard live-fire exercise that spread beyond the range on July 27, scorching around 120 of land and prompting the evacuation of the villages Ayia Anna and Psevdas.