Nicosia: Preparation is the strongest weapon in the fight against forest fires and it is crucial that we continue to talk about prevention, preparedness, and collective responsibility, said on Tuesday the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Environment, Maria Panayiotou.
According to Cyprus News Agency, during a press conference, Panayiotou noted in her 2024 report that 8 out of 10 fires that broke out in the Forest Department’s area of responsibility were extinguished immediately before they spread, with the area burned not exceeding one hectare. The total number of forest fires in 2024 was 168 and the area burned was 468 hectares, representing a decrease in both cases of 2% and 28% respectively, compared to the averages for the last decade, she added.
The average area burned per fire decreased by 29% compared to the decade average, she continued, and the average response time of forest firefighting forces in 2024 remained at 12 minutes, with the Forestry Department aiming to reduce it to 10 minutes. In her report for the first five months of 2025, the Minister of Agriculture said that during this period, 77 fires broke out in the Forestry Department’s area of responsibility, with a total area burned of just 22 hectares, while the number of fires last year during the same period was 83 and the area burned was 297 hectares.
“Comparing the above data with the corresponding data for the decade 2015-2024, the number of fires this year is slightly higher than the average of 72 fires, while, on the contrary, the area burned this year is 95% less than the average for the decade, which is 400 hectares,” she noted. As for the causes of forest fires, the Minister said that arson was in first place with 25%, followed by fires caused by agricultural activities with 15%, 10% of the fires in 2024 were caused by short circuits in electrical cables, 9% by travelers, 6% by residential activities, and 5% by burning trash and lightning.
“These figures confirm that prevention is not just a matter of equipment and planning – it is a question of culture and awareness – it requires a change of mindset and responsibility. And this is a challenge that concerns everyone: the state, local authorities, and the citizens,” she stressed in that regard. The Minister noted that Cyprus is experiencing one of the driest and hottest periods in recent years, with high temperatures, prolonged drought, and a downward trend in rainfall. Extreme weather events, she added, climate change, combined with rural abandonment and land use changes, are increasing the threat of fires and their spread.
She recalled that, by decision of the Council of Ministers, 108 new forest firefighters, fire watchers, and special vehicle operators were recruited in 2024. Today, she stressed, 275 forestry employees, 625 forest firefighters, 80 fire watchers, and 28 drivers are the first line of defense in our forests. For fire detection purposes, she continued, there are 15 fire lookout stations and 32 observation posts, with specialized personnel and firefighting vehicles for immediate intervention in case of fire.
In addition to ground patrols with small rapid response firefighting vehicles, the staff of the Forestry Department, Civil Defense, the Game and Fauna Service, the National Guard, and the Police carry out air patrols with loaded firefighting aircraft. Unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) are also involved in this project, with patrols being reinforced and intensified year on year. “1,000 hours of aerial patrols are expected to be carried out in 2025, compared to 650 hours in 2024 and 100 hours in 2021,” she noted, adding that aerial patrols using drones began in April and have already logged more than 300 flight hours.
The Minister said that in the last two years, three electro-optical fire detection systems have been installed in selected forest areas, while the 1407 hotline is a key tool for immediate reporting by citizens, and is a fact that many fires have been contained thanks to timely reports via the hotline. Over the past two years, Maria Panayiotou said, ground-based firefighting resources have been significantly strengthened, implementing one of the Forestry Department’s largest equipment programs. Through the Recovery and Resilience Plan, a total of 25 new all-terrain firefighting vehicles with a capacity of 2 tonnes of water have been received, while 17 more large 6-tonne vehicles will be delivered by 2026.
For this year’s fire season, she said, 11 primary aircraft have been secured, with 10 in operational readiness and the 11th expected to contribute operationally within the next few days. An additional 3 helicopters from the National Guard and the Police are available as secondary firefighting resources, as well as to cover the coordination needs of air operations. All aircraft have the capacity to drop a total volume of water or other firefighting material exceeding 36.2 tonnes, she noted.
The Minister noted that over the past two years, support from third countries and European institutions has been crucial in strengthening the air fleet and establishing a more resilient, interconnected fire protection mechanism. The Republic of Cyprus, she said, has requested and received approval for the inclusion of two aircraft in the European rescEU transition mechanism for the period June to October 2025. Two firefighting aircraft from Jordan have been operating in Cyprus since last March, as have helicopters from British bases. She added that plans to create a foot patrol unit for forest firefighting and register it with the EU Civil Protection Mechanism are currently being implemented.
She also said that cooperation with the US Forest Service in the field of forest fire management is opening up new horizons for the exchange of know-how, noting that the Meteorology Department is also cooperating with the Israel Meteorological Service to evaluate a specialized forest fire risk index based on the similar climatic conditions and vegetation types of the two countries.