Cyprus is facing what could be the most dangerous day of this year’s wildfire season, fire brigade chief Nikos Longinos warned on Thursday, as authorities remain on heightened alert amid extreme temperatures and strong winds.

He said the combination of weather conditions had created an exceptionally high risk of fires starting and spreading rapidly.

“Today is perhaps the most difficult day of the fire season,” he informed the Cyprus News Agency.

He said current conditions were particularly dangerous, with prolonged heat, low humidity and winds capable of accelerating the spread of even small fires.

Authorities have deployed resources across the island to ensure any outbreaks can be tackled in their early stages, although Longinos cautioned that no country can guarantee it will contain every major wildfire.

“You can never be sure when a fire can overwhelm the system,” he said, pointing to countries including Canada, Spain and France, which have also struggled to contain wildfires despite having greater resources.

He warned that the elevated risk would continue beyond Thursday until weather conditions change.

“In the coming days, until conditions change and especially until it rains, we will be on standby, with the aim of extinguishing any fires in the initial stages,” he said.

Reflecting on the response to last summer’s deadly Limassol wildfire, Longinos said authorities had strengthened preparedness by addressing weaknesses identified after the fire, while acknowledging that there was still scope for further improvements.

“We built on these gaps, we improved a lot, we took a lot of actions, but there is always room for improvement,” he said.

He also revealed that more than 1,350 rural fires have already been recorded since the beginning of the year, describing the figure as “exceptionally high”, regardless of how it compares with the same period in 2025.

Additionally, he remarked that the overwhelming majority of wildfires remains to be caused by human activity.