Minister Euaggelos Tournas launches nationwide fire‑prevention drive

The Greek Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Euaggelos Tournas, convened a wide‑range meeting with the leadership of the Fire Service from across the country. He urged officials to cut the number of fire ignitions and to reduce the amount of combustible material, stating that “the two basic factors that test the resilience of the protection mechanism every year are the number of ignitions and the fuel load.”

Tournas reported a roughly 14 % decline in fire starts despite more than 900 incidents since the anti‑fire season began, attributing the drop to intensified prevention actions and the work of the AntiNero programme. He highlighted the need for municipalities to carry out land‑clearance work and warned that many communities have not yet fulfilled these duties. Citizens were reminded that “each person has the responsibility to take care of their property” and that “fire must not reach the home.”

The minister ordered targeted inspections of uncleaned plots to start on 23 June, directing fire‑service commanders to record hazardous sites and forward the information to the responsible local authorities. The aim is to protect lives and property while easing the pressure on the operational firefighting mechanism throughout the summer.