One of Cyprus's most devastating wildfires in recent memory was caused by a cigarette discarded by the side of a mountain road, a report by US experts has said.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) report concluded that the 'accidental' cause of the fire was a 'carelessly discarded cigarette coming into contact with dry vegetation'.
The fire in July near the coastal town of Limassol claimed the lives of two people, wrecked 700 structures and scorched more 40 square miles.
The ATF report said that a search of the area where the wildfire initially ignited revealed several cigarette butts strewn on the ground by the side of a road connecting the mountain villages of Malia and Arsos.
Investigators noted that the environmental conditions at the time were 'extremely favourable to any ignition, including the ignition from carelessly discarded smoking materials'.
