Fighting the hell of flames How southern Europe is arming itself against forest fires

Access to forests prohibited, undergrowth removed, fire-fighting aircraft purchased, higher penalties imposed for arson: The threat of bush and forest fires is looming again in many countries this summer.

There is great concern in the vacation regions of southern Europe that the summer will be like last summer: with forest and bush fires that are difficult to bring under control. In Greece, new fires have been breaking out every three minutes over the past few days, but have been quickly extinguished. Vassilis Kikilias, the minister responsible for civil protection, warned on Greek radio: "Even a spark can cause destruction and devastation."

Several people died in the forest fires in southern Europe last year, countless animals perished and the flames left hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest and scrubland as charred deserts. Emergency services in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Cyprus are preparing for new fires. Whether deliberate or negligent, experts say that more than 90 percent of fires are caused by human error. An overview:

Cleaning up the forests in Spain and Portugal

After several years of drought, it has recently been raining more in Spain and Portugal. However, it is still unclear whether this will reduce the high risk of forest fires. This is because vegetation close to the ground grows faster thanks to the rain and can act as a kind of fire accelerator later in the dry summer months. Over the winter, forestry workers were busy clearing dead wood from the forests. There are no general access bans to forests in either country.

Spain has around 42,000 firefighters and tens of thousands of other helpers in an emergency. Firefighting is the responsibility of the regions. The Ministry of the Environment in Madrid also has ten brigades of 60 specialists each, which can be deployed by helicopter to hotspots throughout the country at any time. In addition, there is the military emergency aid unit UME with 4000 professional soldiers.

Spain has 31 aircraft and 31 helicopters for firefighting and a modern fleet of all-terrain fire engines. Farmers often help too, using heavy equipment to cut aisles in the vegetation as fire barriers. In Portugal, more than 30,000 professional firefighters and helpers are on standby.

Prevention in France

In France, another nationwide campaign has been launched to prevent fires. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the risk of wildfires has increased due to climate change and now affects practically the entire country. In 2023, there were one and a half times as many forest fires as the long-term average. The first major vegetation fire this year has already raged.

The campaign focuses on prevention: a special forest weather report warns of the dangers of fires, and forestry officers are increasingly on the move to monitor the forests. Drones are being used to detect fires more quickly. Financial aid is available for adapting forests to climate change, for example for planting certain types of trees. One billion new trees are to be planted within ten years to strengthen the forests.

The resources of the civil defense and fire department were also expanded. The number of fire-fighting aircraft and helicopters rose from 38 to 47 last year and the number of fire engines was increased from 44 to 51, which is an additional 500 firefighters. The aim is to start extinguishing fires in endangered regions within ten minutes of a fire being reported.

Campaigns in Italy

According to the environmental authority Ispra, more than 75,000 hectares of forest burned in Italy in the summer of 2023 alone. Regions in the south of the country such as Calabria, Apulia and the large islands of Sicily and Sardinia are particularly affected. The spread of the fires in the summer months is favored by heat waves with drought and the sirocco wind that is typical of the region. However, arson is also often the cause of the fires.

The Italian Civil Protection and the fire department launch campaigns every year before the summer to make the population aware of the risk of forest fires. This year, the authorities have upgraded their equipment following the experiences of previous years: New fire-fighting aircraft and helicopters as well as other heavy equipment have been purchased. The emergency services are also increasingly using drones to keep an eye on endangered areas. In some areas, the hydrant network for water supply has also been expanded.

Forest management measures are also adapted every year as a preventative measure. Where possible, coppice forests are converted into high forests and fire-resistant trees are planted. Undergrowth, such as shrubs, is also thinned out and removed before the season. However, forest fire protection in Italy is the responsibility of the regions, which is why there is a patchwork of rules in the Mediterranean country. In some places, for example, there is a ban on driving and parking cars near or in forests or even a ban on entering a forest area at all.

More aircraft in Greece and Cyprus

Athens announced in April that it would invest 2.1 billion euros in civil protection. Last year, at least 25 people lost their lives in forest and bush fires in Greece; the area burned was around 170,000 hectares and the fire near the northern Greek port city of Alexandroupolis was considered the largest forest fire ever recorded in the EU. The fires are "extreme phenomena that show that nothing will ever be the same again", says Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, referring to the climate crisis.

Greece has 90 firefighting planes and helicopters, with a further 5 to be purchased by 2025, as well as hundreds of new vehicles for the fire department. Money is also to be invested in civil protection infrastructure, technical equipment and new technologies, such as drones that could locate the source of fires in inaccessible areas at an early stage.

There are currently around 14,100 firefighters in Greece. In addition, there are 2,500 who are only deployed in the summer. Together with around 4100 volunteers, there are more than 21,000 firefighters. Private individuals are also preparing. When the fire department can no longer keep up with all the fires, they are the ones who save their homes and villages from the flames themselves.

The government has drastically increased the penalties for arson. In addition to fines in the five-figure range, prison sentences of up to ten years can now be imposed even for negligent arson. In addition, a law came into force in June that obliges property owners to clear their land of undergrowth and bushes in certain cases.

Following the first major forest fire in Cyprus, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulidis also announced the purchase of fire-fighting aircraft last week - fire-fighting aircraft from Greece and Jordan had to come to the aid of the fire on the island's highest mountain.

Forests in Turkey off limits

Most forests in Turkey are off-limits in summer. The authorities closed access to the forest in many provinces at the beginning of June. This is because fires are often caused by people, for example by discarded cigarette butts or barbecues. Forest fires can then spread more quickly in vegetation that has dried out due to periods of drought. Following harsh criticism in the past, Turkey has also upgraded its precautionary measures: 26 airplanes, 14 drones and 105 helicopters are on permanent standby, for example.