Greece is bracing for what officials are calling an "extreme risk" holiday weekend as fire crews fight through a second consecutive night of multiplying wildfires fanned by exceptional winds, while Turkey continues mop-up operations on dozens of blazes that broke out earlier in the week along its Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. Authorities in Athens have placed the country on its highest "Red Code" alert for Saturday, August 1, as fire danger reaches Category 5 — the maximum level — in Attica and Evia.
Greece: A Country Under Siege on Multiple Fronts
Greek firefighters spent the night of July 31 into August 1 locked in what officials described as a "titanic battle" against fire on several simultaneous fronts, with the situation most critical in the region of Boeotia (Voiotia), where two major fire fronts threatened the villages of Domvraina and Porto Germeno.
Boeotia: Flames Reach Within Meters of Homes
The most dramatic scenes played out around Porto Germeno, where flames descending from Mount Kithaironas advanced to within roughly 500 meters of the first homes before firefighters — backed by more than 100 personnel, seven ground units from the 4th and 10th Special Firefighting Forces, and 29 vehicles — managed to halt the fire's advance about 800 meters from the settlement. The nearby village of Prosili lost power as army engineering units and forest commandos worked through the night cutting firebreaks to keep the flames from reaching it. A thick blanket of smoke settled over the area as winds intensified overnight, complicating firefighting efforts further.
At the second major front, between Domvraina and Agios Nikolaos, conditions improved somewhat as winds weakened during the evening, though the fire line remained "within breathing distance" of the first houses in Porto Germeno. Fifty-nine firefighters with three ground units and 20 vehicles worked that sector.
The human toll of the operation was severe even without casualties: extensive olive groves, agricultural land and livestock facilities were destroyed around Xironomi, as gusts during the day reached 7–8 on the Beaufort scale.
Dramatic sea evacuation in Agios Vasileios
The most harrowing episode came in Agios Vasileios, where the fire cut off the only road access to the village, trapping dozens of residents and holidaymakers. Despite repeated 112 emergency alerts urging evacuation, many residents initially stayed in their homes, ultimately forcing a rescue-by-sea operation. Coordinated by the Coast Guard's Operations Center, five private boats, a tugboat and a Fire Service vessel evacuated 229 people from Agios Vasileios beach to Livadostra. Twenty-five of those rescued — mostly elderly residents who struggled to disembark — had to remain aboard the patrol vessel. Images of an elderly woman being carried through the smoke by a police officer into an inflatable boat became some of the most striking of the night.
Successive 112 alerts through the evening ordered evacuations from Agios Nikolaos and Alykes, with residents told to move toward Alyki, while those in the Prosili and Porto Germeno areas were told to stand by or evacuate via Vilia toward Mandra. A sudden flare-up in Kalamaki extended the fire front further, though timely aerial intervention prevented additional spread before aircraft grounded for the night.
By nightfall, water-dropping aircraft had ceased operations, shifting the full weight of the fight to ground forces, who cut six firebreaks in an effort to slow the fire's advance and protect populated areas. Authorities warned the night would be "particularly difficult."
The EU's Copernicus Emergency Management Service was activated to provide rapid satellite mapping of the areas affected in the municipalities of Thebes and Mandra-Eidyllia.
Achaia and Argolida: Overnight Battles Continue
Fire crews fought through the night against a blaze in a hard-to-reach area of Nerantzies, in the Aigialeia area of Achaia, which broke out Friday afternoon; a 112 alert told residents to remain on standby from around 6 p.m. Deputy Mayor for Civil Protection Nikos Karaiskos said strong winds were hampering suppression efforts, with aerial firefighting expected to resume at first light. A separate fire near Floka, in Western Achaia, was reported receding.
In Argolida, a fire that broke out Friday morning near Fichti and spread toward Koutsopodi and Borsa was brought under control, according to regional deputy governor Vasilis Sideris, though ground crews and municipal water-tanker units remained on full alert overnight for possible flare-ups.
Crete: A Third Consecutive Night of Fighting in Rethymno
In southern Rethymno, firefighters faced a third consecutive difficult night, with active fronts concentrated around Preveli. According to the Fire Service's coordination center, all ground forces continued operating on active fronts as strong winds kept complicating suppression work — though officials confirmed the village of Kerames, earlier seen as under threat, was no longer at risk.
Despite an improved overall picture Saturday morning compared to previous days, repeated flare-ups kept crews on constant alert, with the operational burden falling mainly on Preveli, Kerames, Drymiskos and Asomatos. A rapid sequence of 112 alerts tracked the fire's shifting fronts throughout the day: evacuation of the Gefyra and Lake Preveli areas toward Lefkogeia at 3:47 p.m.; Drymiskos toward Spili at 4:20 p.m.; Kerames toward Kissos Kambos at 4:40 p.m.; and Drymiskiano Ammoudi toward Triopetra at 4:44 p.m.
The famed Preveli palm forest has been left at the mercy of the flames, according to local reports, with wind speeds during the fire's most intense phase reportedly exceeding 100 km/h.
Arson investigation opened
In a significant legal development, the Rethymno prosecutor's office has filed charges of arson with possible intent, committed through negligent omission by an obligated party, against the official responsible for operating the ΔΕΔΔΗΕ (Greek power grid operator) network in Rethymno, in connection with the major fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon near Kria Vrysi, in the municipality of Agios Vasileios. The accused is due to appear before the Rethymno investigating magistrate Saturday afternoon to respond to the charges. His defense lawyer, Yannis Parasyris, stated that his client denies the charge and that the defense awaits the official findings of ΔΕΔΔΗΕ's own technical investigation.
Attica: Fire Reaches the Athens Periphery Road
Alarm sounded at midday Friday over a large fire that broke out near Aspropyrgos and, driven by violent winds, quickly spread to the Egaleo peripheral road area, threatening Chaidari. Ninety-five firefighters with six ground units from the 1st Special Firefighting Force, 22 vehicles, four aircraft and five helicopters (one for coordination) fought the blaze, assisted by municipal water tankers.
A 112 message shortly after 4 p.m. ordered residents of Chaidari to evacuate toward Peristeri. The Daphni Psychiatric Hospital of Athens was placed on standby for possible evacuation, and 16 patients with respiratory conditions were preventively transferred to Attikon Hospital. By evening, the situation in the Egaleo peripheral area was reported as improved.
A separate fire in low vegetation at Lakka Katsari, in Aspropyrgos, mobilized 52 firefighters and 20 vehicles, along with four aircraft and five helicopters, assisted by Fyli municipality water tankers.
Fires Contained or Extinguished
Several other fronts were brought under control or extinguished during the day:
Karystos, Evia: A fire in low vegetation near Aetos burned close to homes, with residents reporting flames entering yards and damaging property. A 112 alert at 8:20 p.m. ordered evacuation from the eastern extension of Karystos toward Aetos. Forty-eight firefighters, two ground units from the 20th Special Firefighting Force and 15 vehicles fought the blaze, aided by one helicopter and municipal water tankers.
Kompoti, Arta: A fire that broke out around 2:45 p.m. in a landfill area spread rapidly due to winds, prompting a 112 evacuation toward the Sellades Stadium. Ninety-seven firefighters, 28 water-tanker vehicles and 15 ground personnel — reinforced from Arta, Amfilochia and Ioannina, plus five tankers from neighboring municipalities and ten earthmoving machines — battled the blaze in terrain without rural access roads. It was later reported subsiding with no active front.
Kyparissi, Atalanti (Fthiotida): Extinguished after a response by 22 firefighters, one ground unit and five vehicles, assisted by Lokroi municipality tankers.
Aspropyrgos and Aetos Karystou (Evia): Confirmed by the Fire Service as having no active front.
Cultural and Social Fallout
The fires forced the cancellation of Friday evening's performance of "The Trojan Women" at the ancient theater of Epidaurus, with the National Theatre expressing regret for the disruption. In an unrelated but symbolically resonant image from the crisis, a volunteer was seen trying to calm a frightened dog caught near the advancing flames in Porto Germeno.
Conditions are expected to remain dangerous through Saturday, August 1, with an extreme fire risk (Category 5, the maximum level) forecast for Attica and Evia, and Category 4 ("very high risk") across large parts of the rest of the country. As a result, the following regions have been placed under maximum mobilization ("Red Code"):
The Region of Attica, including the island of Kythira
The regional units of Corinthia, Argolida, Arcadia and Laconia (Peloponnese)
The regional units of Chania and Rethymno (Crete)
The regional units of Boeotia, Fthiotida, Phocis and Evia, including the island of Skyros (Central Greece)
The regional units of Lemnos, Lesvos and Chios (North Aegean)
The regional units of Rhodope and Evros, including Samothrace (Eastern Macedonia and Thrace)
The regional unit of the Cyclades (South Aegean)
The Region of Western Greece
Fire Service Chief of Strategic Planning and Communications, Fire Brigadier Vasilis Vathrakogiannis, said during an emergency briefing that although every available aircraft was mobilized, in most cases planes and helicopters were unable to draw water or operate safely because of the violent winds, which created serious turbulence and flight-safety risks. Civil Protection officials described the wind conditions of recent days as "unprecedented," with the fire service, armed forces, security forces, local authorities, forestry services and volunteers all engaged simultaneously across numerous incidents. "Conditions are adverse and the struggle is titanic," one official said.
Turkey: Mop-Up Operations Continue After Week of Multi-Province Fires
While Greece faces an intensifying crisis, Turkey has been gradually gaining the upper hand on the wave of fires that broke out earlier in the week. Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı reported that since Wednesday, authorities had responded to 169 fires nationwide, with 163 fully brought under control by Thursday evening. Fires in Antalya's Kaş district and in Isparta province were extinguished following intensive air and ground operations.
Active hotspots remain, however, particularly around Seydikemer (roughly 1,950 hectares burned), Gömeç in Balıkesir province (roughly 1,130 hectares), and a smaller fire near Kaş in Antalya (roughly 180 hectares). Turkish coast guards evacuated villagers near a coastal power plant, and authorities evacuated several villages near the Aegean resort town of Ayvalık. Smoke from fires along Turkey's western coast has drifted across the Aegean, worsening air quality as far as the Greek island of Lesvos.
Earlier in the week, wind gusts reaching 84 km/h in Antalya significantly complicated containment efforts. At the height of the response, Turkey had deployed 21 aircraft, 69 helicopters, roughly 500 fire engines and more than 3,500 personnel nationwide. Fires in Yalova, Kütahya and Çanakkale provinces were fully contained earlier in the week, while the most serious blazes were concentrated in Antalya, Muğla and Balıkesir — all major tourist destinations. In Muğla's Seydikemer district, flames came dangerously close to a state hospital, forcing the evacuation of 45 patients to other facilities.
The Common Thread: An Exceptional Wind Event
Officials in both countries have pointed to the same underlying driver: an unusually powerful and sustained wind event across the Eastern Mediterranean, compounding an already severe summer drought and heat. In Greece, gusts have repeatedly reached 7–8 Beaufort — and, in Rethymno's case, reportedly exceeded 100 km/h — grounding water-dropping aircraft for extended periods and allowing embers to jump into unburned terrain far from active fronts. The same system has driven fires as far afield as Portugal, while conditions have eased in France and Spain, allowing evacuees there to begin returning home.
With Saturday's forecast bringing the maximum fire-danger rating to Attica and Evia, Greek authorities are urging residents and visitors across the nine regions under Red Code to follow Civil Protection instructions closely and respond immediately to any 112 alert, warning that field conditions "are changing constantly" and that protecting human life remains the absolute priority.
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