In the last decade Italy has suffered many serious wildfires, especially during very hot and dry summers. Some years were especially destructive, with thousands of fires across the country. Regions like Sicily and Sardinia have been among the most affected, facing repeated emergencies and large losses of forest and natural areas. These events have become more common and more intense, making wildfires a major environmental problem for Italy.

The year with the most severe fires

Looking at recent history, some years clearly stand out.

The worst period overall was 2007, which remains the year with the highest number of fires and the largest burned area in long-term statistics.

Within the last 10 years, 2017 and 2021 were especially dramatic. In these two years, large parts of the country experienced extreme heat and drought, which allowed fires to spread quickly and burn huge areas. As a result, Italy recorded some of the highest wildfire levels in all of Europe for those years.

The areas most heavily damaged

Not all regions suffer in the same way. Over time, Sardinia has recorded the highest number of wildfires, mainly because of its hot, windy summers. On the other hand, Sicily usually ends up with the largest burned area, meaning the fires that happen there often destroy more land.

In recent years, Sicily has repeatedly been the region with the greatest damage, with entire forests, nature reserves, and agricultural zones affected. The South and major islands are generally more vulnerable because of their climate and long dry periods.

How much land was burned

The amount of land destroyed by wildfires changes from year to year, but the numbers are often very high.

In 2007, more than 226,000 hectares burned — the highest value of the last decades.

In 2017, around 140,000 hectares were lost, while 2021 saw even more destruction, with about 159,000 hectares burned.

More recently, in 2023, wildfires affected more than 1,000 km² of land overall, with about 15,700 hectares of forest burned.

These values show how large the impact can be, especially when heat, drought, and strong winds work together.

Why these fires happen

The causes of wildfires in Italy are often linked to human actions. Many fires start because of negligence, such as abandoned cigarettes, uncontrolled barbecues, or poor land management. Sadly, a significant share is also caused on purpose, through intentional arson.

At the same time, climate change makes everything worse. Longer periods of drought, very high temperatures, and dry vegetation create perfect conditions for fires to start and spread quickly.

When human mistakes combine with a hotter climate, Italy becomes much more exposed to destructive wildfires.

🔥 Major Forest Fires in the Last 5-10 Years

2021: Antalya (Manavgat), Muğla (Marmaris, Bodrum), Adana, Mersin

2022: Muğla, Antalya, Çanakkale

2023: Çanakkale, Muğla, İzmir

2024: İzmir, Muğla, Antalya (local but impactful fires)

📅 Year with the Most Fires

2021 was the year with the most fires and the most destructive in Turkey in recent years.

🌲 Most Damaged Areas

Mediterranean Region (Antalya, Mersin)

Aegean Region (Muğla, İzmir)

These regions are at higher risk due to hot, dry summers and dense forest cover.

📐 Burned Area

In 2021, approximately over 140,000 hectares of forest area burned. (This is equivalent to approximately 1,400 km².)

⚠️ Possible Causes of Fires

Human-related:

Negligence (glass bottles, cigarette butts)

Stubble burning

Power lines

Climate-related:

Extreme heat

Drought

Strong winds

Natural causes:

Lightning (less common)

2020: Luhansk region, Zhytomyr region, Kyiv region (Chernobyl Exclusion Zone)

2021: Kharkiv region, Luhansk region, southern regions of Ukraine

2022: Eastern and southern Ukraine (areas affected by military actions)

2023: Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia regions

2024: Eastern, southern and northern regions of Ukraine (large-scale fires)

Year with the Most Fires

2024 was the year with the most widespread and severe fires in Ukraine.

Most Damaged Areas

Eastern Ukraine (Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv regions)

Northern Ukraine (Polissia region, including Zhytomyr and Kyiv regions)

Southern Ukraine (Zaporizhzhia, Kherson regions)

Burned Area

In 2024, approximately 900,000 hectares of land burned

(about 9,000 km²).

Possible Causes of Fires

Human-related:

Negligence (burning dry grass, careless use of fire)

Military-related:

Shelling and explosions

Mine detonations

Climate-related:

Extreme heat

Drought

Strong winds

Natural causes:

Lightning (rare)

- Uncontrolled picnics and fire-lighting are the biggest human-related causes.

- Tourism and agricultural activities also play a significant role.

- Technical factors such as power lines, electrical wires, and infrastructure failures can also cause fires.

- Climate (hot, dry conditions) is an environmental factor that triggers these causes.

the Last 5–10 Years

Key Fire Events

2021: Manavgat – One of the largest forest fires in Turkey’s history

2022–2023: Many medium-scale fires in Antalya, Mersin, and Adana

2024–2025: The number of fires increased, mainly during the summer months

Year with the Highest Number of Fires

2021

Most Affected Areas

Antalya (Manavgat area), rural areas of

Mersin and Adana

Burned Area (Approximate)

2021: ~140,000 hectares

2024: ~26,000 hectares

2025: ~80,000 hectares

Possible Causes of Forest Fires

Human-related: negligence,

carelessness, cigarettes, stubble burning

Climate: extreme heat, drought

Other: wind, lightning

Brief Evaluation

The Mediterranean Region is one of the highest forest fire risk regions in Turkey.

2021 was the most destructive year, while 2025 had the highest number of fires.

 Active and Recent Fires

• Wildfires have broken out east of Thessaloniki (e.g., in the Megali Volvi area), affecting both farmland and forestland and prompting 112 emergency alerts and evacuation warnings during extreme heat and wind conditions.

• A large wildfire near Assiros led to a major emergency response with hundreds of firefighters and aerial support, underscoring how even areas close to the city can become serious fire zones.

• Smaller fires also occurred near the Thessaloniki suburbs, such as Efkarpia, which triggered local alerts and firefighting deployments.

These incidents show that Thessaloniki’s surrounding forest and rural areas are not immune to wildfires, particularly during Greek fire season (late spring through summer).

In the last decade Samos has experienced several notable wildfire events largely driven by hot, dry summer conditions and human factors: a significant wildfire in mid-July 2021 burned large swathes of forest and rural land on the island—forcing precautionary evacuations near Kokkari and hotels as firefighters battled the blaze over rugged terrain, with Copernicus satellite mapping estimating hundreds of hectares affected.

In 2019, a wildfire near Pythagorio and other eastern parts of the island prompted the evacuation of hundreds of tourists and local residents from hotels and beaches as crews worked to contain the fire close to populated areas.

More recently in June 2023, another fire broke out near the village of Mytilinioi, spreading through forested terrain and attracting significant firefighting resources including helicopters to prevent wider devastation.

These fires reflect a broader escalation in wildfire frequency and impact across Greece’s Aegean islands amid warming, drying climate trends

- Year with the most fires.

2025 became the year with the most number of hectares with 340.000 hectares burned.

- Area most damage.

The city with most area damage because of fires is Ourense.

- Amount burned (hectares/km2)

140,000 hectares burned in the Ourense fire.

- Possible causes of fires (human, climate negligence, etc.)

A mixture of human factors (negligence, recklessness, economic interests, agricultural burning), natural factors (lightning, droughts, winds) and climatic factors (climate change that exacerbates droughts and temperatures, creating dry fuel).

- How many fires are there on average per year in your country?

In Spain, there are typically thousands of forest fires, averaging around 13,000 to over 15,000 forest fires per year, though the numbers vary significantly, with some sources noting trends of more fires and larger burned areas in recent years, especially in severe seasons like 2025. 

These fires often impact vast areas, with Spain and Portugal combined experiencing a large portion of Europe's total burned land, largely due to human activity and climate factors.

In 2020, 11,931 fires occurred in agroforestry areas, of which a total of approximately 152,000 acres of agroforestry areas burned. There was an 12,4% increase in agroforestry fires compared to 2019.

The most burned areas to date were caused in the following three Regions: a) Peloponnese, with a total number of burned areas of more than 63,793 acres, i.e. half of the burned areas in the Territory, b) Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, where a total of more than 19,270 acres burned and c) Attica, where a total of more than 14,500 acres burned.

In 2021, 9,847 fires occurred in agroforestry areas, of which a total of approximately 1,550,000 acres of agroforestry areas burned. The largest fires in terms of area burned are, in descending order, the following, which occurred from August 3 to 5, 2021: North Evia 3/8/2021 with 508,876 acres, Ilia / Ancient Olympia 4/8/2021 with 180,054 acres, Laconia / Eastern Mani 3/8/2021 with 104,712 acres, Attica: i) Varibombi 3/8/2021 with 83,774 acres and ii) Vilia 16/8/2021 with 97,591 acres, Messinia 4/8/2021 with 51,067 acres and Phocis 5/8/2021 with 30,019 acres.

In 2022, the size of the burned areas is significantly smaller compared to last year's disastrous year. A development attributed to more favorable weather and climatic conditions and the improvement of the forest fire response mechanism. In 2022, 238,382 acres burned, showing a large decrease compared to 2021.

In 2023, a total of 8,511 agroforestry fires took place in the territory, from which a total of 1,726,260 acres of agroforestry lands were burned in the territory. In Greece, in 2023, the largest increase in burned areas was observed among all the Mediterranean countries. Greece in 2023 ranks 1st among the EU countries and Europe in general, but also among the countries of the Middle East and North Africa with the most burned areas. Specifically, 1,726,260 burned acres are recorded. The largest fire in the EU and Greek history in terms of burned area is in Evros, which has burned a total of 812,607 acres from 19.08 to 02.09.2023.

In 2024, a significant increase in the number of fires was recorded, by 42% compared to the average for the period 2006-2023. More than 90,000 hectares were affected in 11 protected areas (of which 8 were Natura areas). Most burned areas were recorded in the Attica Region and the Peloponnese.

In 2025, Greece shows a different trend: fewer fires and less destruction. Overall, a 5% reduction in burned areas was recorded compared to the average of the last twenty years and a 14% reduction in forest fires. Five regions — Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, Thessaly, Western Greece, Peloponnese and Central Macedonia — account for over 60% of total cases. This is linked to the type of land, agricultural activity, but also to the high presence of grassland and agricultural fuels. The most common causes are related to the burning of crop residues, reeds, field cleaning and general work in rural areas.

📊 Most impacted regions/areas:

• Sicily — major portion of burned area nationwide.

• Sardinia — represented ~20 % of fires nationally.

• Campania, Calabria, Sicily also heavily affected.

🔥 Major fires/events:

• Large wildfire near L’Aquila in central Italy (pine forest crown fire).

• Sicily fire that alone accounted for ~40 % of total burned area in Italy.

⚠️ Causes:

• Mainly human-related fires — especially arson, agriculture burning, and rural negligence. Natural lightning-started fires were very rare (~2 %).

📍 2021 — One of Italy’s Worst Fire Seasons

📊 Most impacted regions:

• Sardinia (including the Montiferru-Planargia area).

• Sicily and Calabria suffered extensive damage.

• Fires spread at times to Lazio, Campania, Tuscany and others.

🔥 Major fires/events:

• Montiferru fire (Sardinia) — extremely large and widespread.

• Sicily recorded heavy burned area and high ignitions with fatalities.

⚠️ Causes:

• Organized arson and criminal fire-setting were reported as major causes.

• Human causes (arson + negligence) dominated, with the climate and drought conditions worsening spread.

📍 2022 — Widespread Fires but Lower Total Burned Area

📊 Most impacted regions:

• Sicily, Puglia, Calabria made up more than 55 % of burned land.

• Other affected regions included Lazio, Campania, and Tuscany.

🔥 Major fires/events:

• Multiple fires throughout the summer with high number of fire events, though each tended to be smaller compared to 2021.

⚠️ Causes:

• Again predominantly human ignition (arson, agricultural burning, negligence) combined with heat and drought conditions.

• Natural causes remained a very small fraction (~2 %).

📍 2023 — Sicily & Calabria Dominate the Fire Map

📊 Most impacted regions:

• Sicily contributed around 64 % of burned forest area in Italy.

• Calabria also heavily affected — together with Sicily, they accounted for >83 % of total forest area burned.

🔥 Major fires/events:

• Big fires in Palermo province (Sicily) and other southern localities.

• Continued summer fires in both Sicilian and Calabrian territories.

⚠️ Causes:

• Human activity was the overwhelming driver — including negligent behaviors and intentional fires (“dolosi”), amplified by high temperatures and dry conditions.

• Natural ignitions were again only a small percentage.

📍 2024 — Lower National Impact; South Still Most Affected

📊 Most impacted regions:

• Sicily, Calabria, Sardinia, Campania together accounted for ≈ 85 % of burned forest area.

• Provinces like Reggio Calabria, Cosenza, and Nuoro saw notable fire impacts.

🔥 Major fires/events:

• Fire seasons were intense in July-August, but overall burned area was significantly less than 2020–2023 levels.

⚠️ Causes:

• Predominantly human sources such as agricultural practices, negligence, and intentional ignitions in dry summer conditions.

• Natural ignitions were minimal.

📍 2025 (to date) — Sicily, Calabria, Puglia, Campania

📊 Most impacted regions (2025, partial data):

• Sicily — especially Agrigento province (largest burned area).

• Calabria, Puglia, Campania also showed high burned surfaces.

• Fires affected 16 regions overall.

🔥 Major fires/events:

• Trapani area (Sicily) — huge wildfire burned ~55 km².

• Enna & Caltanissetta provinces (Sicily) — major forest areas.

• Mount Vesuvius area (Campania) — large fire impacting trails and forest zones.

⚠️ Causes:

• Most fires are still linked to human causes (negligence, possible arson, agricultural ignition) under heightened drought and heat conditions.

• Specific judicial findings (e.g., arson on Vesuvius) indicate intentional causes in some major events.

📌 General Pattern Across Years

Areas repeatedly most impacted:

✔️ Sicily — consistently the top-impacted region for burned area.

✔️ Calabria & Sardinia — frequent major fire zones.

✔️ Southern Italy overall — southern regions suffer a large share each year.

Typical causes of major fires:

🔥 Human activity dominates (arson, negligent ignition, rural/agricultural burning).

⚡ Natural causes are rare (< ~2 %).

Climate factors (heat waves, drought) exacerbate spread but don’t alone ignite fires.

2022 shows the highest number of recorded fire events in the recent period.

2024 shows a significantly lower number, reflecting a less intense wildfire season compared to 2020–2023.

2025’s preliminary count already indicates a very active season (especially considering reports of high wildfire impact and burn area), even though the full year’s total isn’t yet finalized.

The main reason for the increase in forest fires in recent years is climate change and human activities.

Climate change: Rising temperatures, drought, and strong winds increase the risk of fires.

Human factor: Picnic fires, stubble burning, cigarette butts, arson, and power lines are the main causes of fires.

Vegetation: Easily flammable plants such as red pine and maquis contribute to the rapid spread of fires.

Management issues: The abandonment of rural areas and insufficient preventive measures increase the risk.

Natural causes: Factors such as lightning account for a small proportion of fires.

Mediterranean Region – Major Fires in the Last 5 Years (Summary):

2021: The largest fires in Turkey’s history, especially in Antalya (Manavgat); vast areas burned.

2022: Numerous medium-scale forest fires across the Mediterranean region during summer.

2023: Regional large fires caused by rising temperatures in summer.

2024: Increase in the number of fires; areas close to coasts and settlements were affected.

2025: Severe and widespread fires along the Antalya–Mersin corridor, including

evacuations.

How Can Forest Fires Be Prevented?

Reducing human-related causes (fires, cigarettes, negligence)

Regular cleaning and maintenance of forests Use of early warning and fire detection systems

Fast and effective response to fires

Raising public awareness and increasing inspections.

Forest Fires in Türkiye

Forest fires are one of the most serious environmental problems in Türkiye. Every year, thousands of hectares of forest land are destroyed, which negatively affects both nature and human life.

1. Causes of Forest Fires

Approximately 90% of forest fires in Türkiye are caused by human activities, which shows that most of these fires are actually preventable.

Negligence and Carelessness (30%)

Stubble burning

Cigarette butts that are not properly extinguished

Picnic fires

Glass waste acting like a magnifying glass under the sun

Accidents (6%)

Broken power lines

Transformer explosions

Traffic accidents leading to fires

Intentional Fires (4–5%)

Terrorist acts

Attempts to clear land for personal benefit

Natural Causes (13%)

Mainly caused by lightning strikes

Unknown Causes (45%)

Fires whose exact causes cannot be determined

However, most of them are believed to be related to human activities

2. Where Are Forest Fires Most Common?

Forest fires in Türkiye are most common in the Aegean and Mediterranean regions.

High-Risk Provinces

Muğla

Antalya

İzmir

Mersin

Adana

Why Are These Regions at Risk?

Red Pine Forests: These trees are highly flammable due to their resinous structure.

Climate Conditions: Extremely high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds (such as Lodos and Poyraz) during summer cause fires to spread rapidly.

Population Mobility: Tourism and summer residences increase human–forest interaction.

3. How Can We Prevent Forest Fires?

This section focuses on solutions and prevention.

Early Warning Systems

Smart fire watch towers

AI-powered thermal cameras

Drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) that detect smoke within seconds

Raising Awareness

Obeying fire bans in picnic areas

Promoting the culture of “Fire-Free Picnics”

Providing environmental education in schools and communities

Fire Safety Strips

Keeping forest roads clean

Creating wide safety corridors to stop the spread of fires

Technological Intervention

Water release using drones

Modeling fire spread scenarios with satellite data

4. Effects of Forest Fires on Living Beings

Forest fires affect not only trees but also animals, humans, and the entire ecosystem.

Wildlife habitats are destroyed and animal populations decrease.

Soil becomes infertile, increasing the risk of erosion and floods.

Human health and the economy are seriously affected.

For these reasons, preventing forest fires is not only the responsibility of the government but also of society as a whole. Awareness begins within the family. If families do not teach, children cannot learn, and careless behavior can turn into devastating disasters.

🔥

Recorded Fire Incidents in Samegrelo

Recent Wildfire and Agricultural Fires

• In early January 2021, dozens of fire outbreaks were reported across the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region. Most were grass and brush fires that spread quickly under windy conditions, affecting agricultural land and wild vegetation. Many were extinguished by firefighters, but some remained active due to challenging conditions.

• Around the same time, hazelnut and blueberry orchards in Davitiani village (Zugdidi municipality) were reported burning, highlighting how dry brush and weather can lead to agricultural and field fires in the region.

Local Village Fire Incidents

• In January 2012, a fire at a tea plantation in Ingiri village (Zugdidi district) destroyed about 15 hectares of land before fire brigades extinguished the blaze.

Residential Fire Tragedies

• More recently (reported late 2025), a father and son died in a house fire in Zemo Kvaloni village, Khobi municipality. Negligence was cited as a probable cause in this tragic local fire.

Ongoing Fire Management

• The Georgian Emergency Management Service regularly reports on forest and field fires, including dozens of localized fires in Samegrelo that are extinguished yearly, often exacerbated by strong winds and dry weather.

📊

Statistical Overview of Fires in the Region

Government forest fire statistics show that:

• In 2021, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti had 11 reported forest and field fire cases covering 164 hectares, indicating notable wildfire activity.

• In 2022, the number was lower with 4 fires covering 8 hectares overall, showing variability in fire incidence year-to-year.

• In 2023, the region recorded 1 fire covering 5 hectares, suggesting seasonal fluctuation and likely effective fire management efforts.

🌲

Why Fires Occur in Samegrelo

Fires in this region often occur due to:

• Human activity — such as burning agricultural waste or negligent handling of fire.

• Weather conditions — strong winds and dry spells help small fires spread quickly.

• Vegetation type — The region’s mix of fields, grasslands, and forests can fuel fire spread between agricultural lands and wild vegetation.

These factors are common across many parts of Georgia experiencing seasonal brush and forest fires.

By viqtoria gvalia💗