The fire department urged the public to take extra care during the summer heat, warning against carelessly discarding cigarette butts and other behaviour that can spark blazes.
The total number of fires rose 6.51% last year, while estimated losses climbed to €134.6 million, a figure driven largely by the major wildfire that swept through the Limassol foothills.
Officials said more than 94% of all fires were caused by human activity.
Major Cyprus wildfires in recent years
A series of severe, mostly human‑caused fires has marked the past decade:
- Arakapas fire (2021) — One of the island’s worst in modern times, killing four Egyptian farm workers and burning 55 sq km across Larnaca and Limassol districts.
- Solea/Solia fire (2016) — A deadly blaze that scorched 18.5 sq km of forest and claimed the lives of two firefighters.
- Stavros tis Psokas / Paphos Forest fires (2023) — Multiple outbreaks during a prolonged heatwave, destroying forest land and forcing evacuations in remote mountain communities.
- Larnaca–Famagusta rural fires (2022) — A cluster of agricultural and scrubland fires that damaged property and triggered repeated civil defence alerts.
- Limassol foothills wildfire (2025) — The most destructive in recent years, burning homes, farmland and forest in a fast‑moving front driven by high winds and extreme temperatures.
