Police have launched an investigation into the causes of two fires that broke out in Lysos on Saturday, following concerns from the forestry department that the incidents may have been deliberately started.

The investigation comes after the department’s director Savvas Ezekiel said on Sunday that repeated fires in Paphos were raising concerns about possible arson.

The two fires that broke out in Lysos yesterday were reported around 500 metres apart, with the first breaking out at about 4pm in the Potamoudes area.

It burned approximately seven hectares before being brought under control at around 6pm.

A second fire broke out shortly afterwards in the Mersinia area.

Forestry department spokesman Glafkos Kyriakou said on Saturday that “the two incidents point to a malicious act”.

Ezekiel informed that the two outbreaks came amid a series of fires reported in recent years between Droushia and Prodromos, as well as in Skoulli and now Lysos.

“We cannot have five fires starting from Droushia to Prodromos as consecutive incidents,” he remarked.

“The phenomenon in this ‘triangle’ that I mentioned to you occurs every year. Why does it happen every year? Something is up and we must identify it.”

He said the repeated incidents required closer investigation, further commenting that he was prepared to submit proposals concerning the area at forthcoming meetings.