Greece braces for high fire risk as minister details increased readiness and penalties

Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Evangelos Turanas warned that Greece is entering a period of very high forest‑fire risk due to a combination of extreme temperatures, abundant dry fuel from heavy winter rains and strong winds. He said 30–40 fires are reported each day, with more than 1,100 incidents recorded since the anti‑fire season began, of which about 470 have already been extinguished.

Turanas emphasized that roughly 85 % of the fires are caused by human negligence, mainly agricultural or livestock work, and that 120 arrests have been made with fines exceeding €550,000. To strengthen response capacity, the fire service now operates around 80 aerial units—including 51 hired aircraft—and expects its first Canadair to arrive in 2028, with a full fleet by 2031. The ministry plans to recruit 600 new firefighters, bringing total staff to 18,800, and supports more than 5,500 certified volunteers. New digital command systems, the AIgIS monitoring program and the €665 million ANTINERO fund are also being deployed to improve prevention and rapid response.