Greece placed roughly half the country, including the greater Athens region, under a Red Code wildfire alert for Monday, as powerful winds, low humidity and soaring temperatures created what one disaster expert called "war-like conditions" for fire outbreaks.
Areas under Red Code alert include the Attica region and the island of Kythera; the Corinthia, Argolida, Arcadia and Laconia regional units in the Peloponnese; the entire Crete region; Boeotia, Fthiotida, Phocis and Evia, including Skyros; Lesbos, Chios, Samos and Ikaria in the northern Aegean; the Cyclades; and Achaia in western Greece.
Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Evangelos Tournas warned that temperatures would reach 40°C in western regions and 38-39°C in the east.
"We have very strong winds, high temperatures… and abundant fuel. We must not have new incidents under these conditions," he said.
Kostas Synolakis, a professor specializing in natural disasters, described the situation as comparable to "war-like conditions," emphasizing the critical importance of fire prevention.
In Athens, authorities have implemented vehicle bans on Mount Hymettus, which take effect automatically when the fire risk index reaches level 4 or 5.
Police have closed roads leading to the mountain in the Vyronas area, while nearby Finopoulou Hill remains closed until further notice.
Municipal sanitation and green space workers have been placed on standby, with patrols and thermal-camera drones deployed and the municipal police operations center running 24 hours to coordinate directly with the Fire Service.
A dedicated Civil Protection drone equipped with thermal imaging conducts daily flights over Athens from Lycabettus Hill to detect heat hotspots.
The alert comes amid mounting concern over fire activity nationwide: more than 400 wildfires have broken out across Greece in the past 10 days alone, with 90% attributed to negligence, according to the Climate Crisis Ministry.
Forecasters predict sunny skies Monday with winds reaching 6 Beaufort in the central and southern Aegean, and temperatures peaking at 40°C in western Greece.