Greece issues ‘red alert’ over very high wildfire risk

Greece issued a "red alert" for the regions of Attica, Viotia and Evia for Thursday due to a "very high" risk of wildfires, authorities said Wednesday.

The General Secretariat for Civil Protection, operating under the Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Ministry, raised the wildfire risk to Category 4 for Aug. 6 in the three regions, including the capital Athens, ERT News reported.

Under the alert, the National Civil Protection Mechanism will operate at full capacity, while teams from the fire service, police and armed forces will conduct ground and aerial patrols.

Preventive restrictions will also be imposed on vehicle traffic and visitors in forests and other vulnerable areas. Authorities urged residents to avoid activities that could spark fires.

The warning came as firefighters brought a wildfire under control near Koropi, southeast of Athens, on Wednesday.

The blaze broke out in low vegetation in the Driggia area at around 1.45 pm local time, according to the Fire Service.

At least 52 firefighters, including three specialized forest commando units, and 14 vehicles were deployed. Four helicopters and two water-dropping aircraft also joined the operation, while another helicopter coordinated the aerial response.

Local authorities supported the effort with water tankers, and the operations center monitored the blaze using thermal and optical drone cameras.

An arson investigation team was dispatched to determine the cause of the fire.

Firefighters also continued efforts Wednesday to contain a major wildfire that began last week in Viotia and spread into western Attica.

According to data from the EU's Copernicus satellite monitoring system, the blaze has burned approximately 14,424 hectares (35,642 acres).

A Danish pilot and a Greek aerial coordinator were killed when two firefighting helicopters collided midair during operations against the blaze on Sunday.