Greece suffers first severe heatwave of the summer

Speaking to reporters ahead of the inter-ministerial meeting, Minister Kikilias said the heatwave is expected to peak on June 12 and 13. As a result, the fire danger scale will be set at “very high”, equivalent to 4/5. Minister Kikilias also warned that this will be a difficult fire season for firefighters.

Meteorologists warn temperatures could reach 43 degrees Celsius this week before falling over the weekend.

Greece has just experienced its warmest winter on record, followed by higher-than-normal temperatures in April. The country is regularly hit by wildfires in the summer. The fires started as early as March at altitudes above 1,000m. Firefighters have struggled to contain dozens of fires a day this month.

Greece has introduced tougher penalties for accidental and intentional arson, with offenders facing up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to 200,000 euros ($215,000) starting May 1.

According to the Athens National Observatory, wildfires in 2023 burned nearly 175,000 hectares of forest and farmland in Greece after a two-week heatwave, also the longest in Greek history.