Health Impacts, fires 2025.

Mountainous Limassol: They burned us, they abandoned us, they made us sick

The health consequences of negligence after the 2025 fires and the state silence

In July 2025, the mountainous Limassol region was engulfed in flames. Over 120 square kilometers of forest, villages, houses, and human lives were destroyed. Two people were found dead in a car. Dozens of houses were leveled. Hundreds of people saw their lives turn to ashes in a matter of hours.

And yet, in this crash, it wasn't just the fire that burned. It was – and is – also the invisible enemy: the air. The air that is filled with suspended microparticles, ashes, toxins, heavy metals, chemicals from plastics, burnt furniture, insulation and roofs. And the state indifference that lets it be inhaled… as if nothing were happening.

The silence of the Ministry of Health: When negligence becomes political

Indicatively:

• On July 24, while the fire was still ongoing, no recommendations were issued to protect vulnerable groups from smoke.

• As of August 1, the Ministry had not published any information on its website or social media regarding respiratory protection.

• Not even a simple reminder to use FFP2 masks or to avoid staying in areas with a strong smell of burning.

• An ash like any other, a cloud that “will be carried away by the wind.” And with it, the responsibility.

They burned us. Literally. But fortunately they didn't bother us with unnecessary instructions. No announcement, no warning, no press release, no SMS. Nothing. Not even a simple: "Wear a mask, watch out for children and the elderly, avoid returning to burned houses without protection." An official instruction would have been the minimum.

But maybe they thought… “it’s not necessary”. After all, anyone who has lost their home should also lose their health. If you’re burned, a little dust won’t bother you. And if it bothers you, it’s your fault for breathing it.

The attitude of the Ministry of Health was so resoundingly absent that even a theatrical monologue would envy it. Not only did they not bother to inform, but they behaved as if there was no problem at all. An ash like any other, a cloud that “the wind will take away”. And with it, the responsibility.

Medical documentation: By breathing ash, we inhale diseases

The science is clear. Fires release PM2.5 and PM10 particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, heavy metals, and dioxins. These penetrate deep into the lungs, enter the bloodstream, and cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and worsen lung, heart, and vascular diseases.

Children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with COPD or asthma are at much greater risk. Studies from Harvard and Yale show that symptoms can last 2-3 months after a fire. The chronic complications? Unpredictable. Often irreversible.

Chronic exposure is linked to lung cancer, increased risk of stroke, arrhythmias, kidney dysfunction, premature births, and neurodegenerative diseases. In the case of the Limassol Mountains, dozens of people are returning to their homes in ashes, without even being given a mask.

History repeats itself: From 2021 to 2025, the same story

In 2021 in Arakapas, we had 4 dead and hundreds of acres burned. In 2023, a 36% jump in fires. In 2025, a new tragedy. What do they have in common? The state's absence. The same complete lack of prevention, planning, information, protection.

Economic and health costs: The price of silence

Tobacco is not free. It has a cost. Immediate: medications, inhalers, hospitalizations. Medium-term: medical monitoring, laboratory tests, lost work. Long-term: chronic lung disease, need for oxygen, disabilities, antisocial behavior, psychological trauma.

International experience shows that 20% of the total cost of a major fire is transferred to the health system. In Cyprus, this translates into millions. Without taking into account mental health: anxiety attacks, PTSD, depression, despair.

Testimonies from the burned areas

Families in the fire-stricken areas describe how within a few hours they lost everything. Those who returned found a place full of ash and the smell of burning. And no one had informed them. "Not even a text message. Only the smoke." Children with coughs, elderly people in discomfort, people sleeping with open windows because they have no other choice. And the state, silent. Invisible.

Delay and Negligence – What Should Have Been Done

• Emergency updates from the Ministry of Health, Civil Defense and Local Government.

• Public instructions for the use of a protective mask and avoidance of exposure to burned environments.

  Detection and assessment of air quality in affected areas.

  Activation of prevention programs for vulnerable groups (children, elderly, respiratory patients).

Immediate Suggestions – What else can be done?

• Distribution of N95 masks and HEPA filters in the affected villages.

• Medical support with mobile units and respiratory and cardiac health monitoring.

• Psychological support programs for fire victims.

• Prevention: clearing of dry grass, fire forecasting and detection networks, implementation of local response protocols.

• Creation of a national platform for informing and activating citizens in the event of a natural disaster.

• Emergency updates from the Ministry of Health, Civil Defense and Local Government.

• Distribution of N95 masks and HEPA filters in the affected villages.

• Medical support with mobile units and respiratory and cardiac health monitoring.

  Psychological support programs.

• Prevention: clearing of dry grass, forecasting and detection networks, response protocols.

Conclusion

Mountainous Limassol burned. Not the first time. But this time, we burned it in terms of communication as well. We were left without a voice, without instructions, without care. And the ashes do not end with the fire. Inhaling them is daily. Silent. Dangerous. Deadly.

And we, alone. With the masks we bought alone. With the information we sought alone. With our lungs absorbing the responsibilities that others avoided.

This ash is not washed away. And it does not forgive.