Fire Service: 110 drones on round-the-clock watch

A network of 110 unmanned aircraft keeps sensitive and critical areas of the country under round-the-clock surveillance, among them forest ecosystems, according to what the Fire Service spokesman Yiannis Artopoios said. Speaking on ERTnews’s programme ‘Syndeseis’, in statements broadcast on Friday 21 August 2026, the spokesman explained that the drones detect fires and hot spots at an early stage, while in some cases they also help to identify possible perpetrators. These systems also cover places where access for ground crews is difficult or time-consuming. The heightened state of readiness is attributed to a combination of factors described by the Service itself: rising temperatures, low relative humidity, increased dryness of fuel material and stronger winds.

On the investigation side, Mr Artopoios said that since the start of the year 308 arrests have been made under the in flagrante procedure in fire cases. Of these, 272 concern incidents attributed to negligence and 36 to intent. That ratio, with the great majority of cases linked to negligence, shifts the weight away from organised arson towards everyday practices in the countryside. Beyond the Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes, 37 special teams operate with the exclusive remit of investigating arson. The spokesman placed the figures in a context of prevention rather than enforcement: “We want to instil a culture of safety in the countryside,” he noted, adding that the Service’s success is measured not by the number of arrests but above all by the reduction in the number of fires.

The picture of the past twenty-four hours is set out in the Fire Service’s official bulletin coded DT 6258a, issued on Thursday 20 August 2026 at 17:57. According to it, between 18:00 on Wednesday 19 August 2026 and 18:00 on Thursday 20 August 2026 there were 25 agricultural and forest fires, which, it states, were tackled immediately at their initial stage. These are incidents that did not develop into large fronts and rarely occupy public debate, since attention usually turns to fires that lead to settlements being evacuated. Local investigation offices and the D.A.E.E. teams are looking into the causes of each incident, while the bulletin calls on the public to be especially careful and to follow the instructions of the competent Authorities.

As for the operational logic, the spokesman described a clear hierarchy of priorities: first the protection of human life and physical safety, then property, and after that the natural environment and national wealth. Aerial surveillance, the special teams and checks in the countryside make up, on this description, a web aimed at early detection, before a hot spot develops into a front requiring aerial resources and reinforcements from other regions. The country is currently under conditions of high fire risk, with the heatwave intensifying the dryness of vegetation. No timetable has been announced for scaling back the surveillance.