August, September to bring extreme fire risk to area around Greek capital

ATHENS

August and September will bring extreme fire risk to Attica, the region including Athens and the adjacent port city of Piraeus, the National Observatory of Athens warned on Thursday.

Underlining that this July saw significantly below-average rainfall, unusually high temperatures, and intense atmospheric dryness across the country, the observatory’s FLAME Fire Meteorology Group warned that these conditions already worsened the fire potential in several regions of the country, particularly in the Attica, Peloponnese, western Greece, the island of Crete, and the southern Aegean.

With hotter temperatures and continued dry conditions, the wildfire risk is expected to rise greatly in August, it added.

In September, this dangerous trend is expected to continue with high temperatures and so the extreme wildfire risk will expand to include the southern Aegean and Crete, apart from Attica, the Peloponnese, and western Greece.

FLAME urged authorities and residents in high-risk regions to remain vigilant, follow civil protection guidelines, and take proactive measures to prevent wildfires as the country enters the peak of the wildfire season.