Christmas night with fire: an arson on the highway at Kesari–Ayios Athanasios, teenager arrested

Christmas night in Cyprus was restless: witnesses reported a fire on the highway near the Kesari – Ayios Athanasios roundabout. According to one witness, around 23:10 he noticed smoke and a strong smell of burning while returning from work and stopped to see where the smoke was coming from.

Witnesses said the fire broke out on the pedestrian walkway. People immediately called 112, but were told that the emergency services were already aware. A police patrol arrived within minutes, according to witnesses. Almost immediately, a second fire hotspot was also discovered in time.

Witnesses believe a group of teenagers (approximately 5–7 people) may have been involved — they ran away when they realized they were noticed. One of them was detained by the police; preliminary information indicates he is a minor.

Earlier, police had already warned about possible arson incidents and hooliganism. In December, various areas of the country recorded cases where teenagers set fire to tires and trash bins and attacked police officers, resulting in damaged patrol cars and arrests.