Authorities in Greece warned the public on Saturday that most of the country will be on high alert next week for potential wildfires.
Greece is bracing –yet again– for a week of a dangerous cocktail of high temperatures, dry ground conditions and strong winds that could cause significant wildfires in many parts of the country.
Greek Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias warned on Saturday that the fire risk in many parts of the nation would become even more severe in the coming days, particularly in the days leading up to the Dormition of the Theotokos bank holiday on August 15.
Greece braces for fires as temperatures soar
Greece, along with many other Mediterranean regions, experienced its warmest winter in the 2023-24 season. According to the National Observatory of Athens, which analyzed European Union satellite data, this winter was the warmest since records began in 1960.
The Greeks also had to deal with one of the earliest heatwaves on record this year. In June, temperatures rose to a blistering 44°C (111°F) in many parts of continental Greece.
The high temperatures combined with the prolonged drought and dry weather have generated a situation where forests and parks are exceptionally vulnerable to fires.
Preparing for the worst
Minister Kikilias held an emergency interministerial meeting on Saturday morning to coordinate the response of the government, the authorities and the regional administrations across the country for the upcoming week.
The meeting of those officials involved focused on making sure that all relevant agencies, authorities and local administrations are ready and in direct communication with each other in case a large wildfire breaks out. These authorities include the fire brigade, police, armed forces, thr Electricity Distribution Network Operator, the National Center for Emergency Care and local authorities across the nation.
Greece needs to learn from last year’s wildfires
Consecutive wildfires which ravaged Greece in the summer of 2023 left hundreds of thousands of hectares burnt from north to south and from the mainland to the islands. The country had to put out thousands of fires, with the European Union setting up one of its largest aerial firefighting operations to assist Greek firefighters.
Only two days ago, on Thursday, a huge wildfire ravaged large parts of Rethymno, on Greece’s biggest island, Crete.
Emergency messages were sent to the residents and visitors of three settlements in the Rethymno district —Apodoulou, Agios Ioannis and Nithavri—to be ready to evacuate if needed.
The fire service told the public that 222 firefighters were battling the flames in Rethymno, including 32 flown in from other parts of Greece where the fire hazard was lower.
So far, more than a staggering 2,000 wildfires have erupted all over from the beginning of this year’s fire season.
As part of the EU’s RescEU programme, two hundred and forty firefighters from other member-states and collaborating nations, including Bulgaria, Malta, Moldova and Romania have been deployed across Greece to assist their Greek colleagues.
