Wildfire monitoring and management in Greece

In early August 2026, efforts to monitor and manage wildfire risks in Greece included the deployment of a new automated remote pyrometeorological station in Taxiarhis, Chalkidiki. Operated by the National Observatory of Athens as part of the PYROMET network, the station provides real-time data on fire risk indices and fuel moisture to assist authorities in predicting fire outbreaks and spread.

By mid-August, the situation escalated as major wildfires broke out in Chalkidiki and Skyros. The European Union’s Copernicus Emergency Management Service was activated to provide satellite mapping and data support. In the Sivri peninsula of Kassandra, satellite imagery from August 14, 2026, indicated that a fire burned approximately 2,480 stremmata (248 hectares).

The Copernicus service provides specialized, free cartographic products to the Greek General Secretariat for Civil Protection to assist with firefighting operations, emergency management, and damage assessment. This support extends to the island of Skyros, where authorities are utilizing the data to manage a major forest fire and evaluate its consequences.