Fires: Sicily and Calabria hit hard in 2023

The two regions represent 83% of the burned surface in Italy

In 2023, Sicily and Calabria were the scene of devastating forest fires that affected more than 83% of the total Italian forest area affected. Sicily, with 101 km² of burned forests, contributed to 64% of the national total. These data emerge from Ispra’s monitoring activities on the impacts of medium and large-sized fires on ecosystems.

In total, 15 of the 20 Italian regions recorded large forest fires in 2023. The regions spared from the flames are Friuli Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Marche and Umbria. Compared to the previous year, the burned area decreased in the North, North-Central and Central regions, but increased in the South, Sicily and Sardinia.

Regional and provincial details

The province of Palermo was the most affected with 43.5 km² of burned surface, representing 43% of the regional total and 28% of the national total. The provinces of Messina and Syracuse also suffered, with 23 and 10 km² of forests destroyed by flames, respectively. In Calabria, the province of Reggio saw 20 km² of forested surface burned.

Impacts on protected areas

43% of the burned forests were located in protected areas, mainly in sites of the Natura 2000 network, highlighting the urgency of policies for the restoration and conservation of terrestrial ecosystems at national and local level.