Fire incidents drop but rise in urban areas

A 12.62% decrease was recorded in fires in Cyprus last year, but the trend was reversed for urban areas, according to the Fire Service.

According to the statistics, the Service responded to 6,451 fires throughout Cyprus.

In relation to rural fires, a downward trend of 23% (3,445) was observed, compared to 2021, when the total was 4,474.

Α 3.33% increase was recorded, however, in fires in urban areas, more specifically, 3,006 in 2022, compared with 2,909 in 2021.

The Fire Service also carried out 24 fire rescues compared to 29 in 2021, while there were 31 injuries from 19, and five people died in fires compared to seven in the previous year.

The Fire Service responded to 11,247 calls for assistance, which related to calls for fires and special services but also fake calls.

According to the Fire Service, 90% of fires in rural areas were due to the human factor, but a significant reduction was recorded in 2022.

This was due to prevention campaigns while patrols by the Police, the Fire Service, Forestry Department, the Game and Fauna Service, and other organised groups, helped.

Fire damage caused last year was reduced to €9,491,552: €8,615,472 for urban fires and €876,080 for rural blazes.

In 2021 damage amounted to €29,212,512, of which €10,596,402 concerned fires in urban areas and €18,616,110 rural fires.

It was a year of the island’s worst wildfire that killed four Egyptian farm labourers.