Greek authorities placed large parts of the country under a “very high” wildfire risk for Monday as persistent heat and dry conditions continue to fuel fires across the country.
A Level 4 alert, one step below the highest red emergency level, was issued for Attica, parts of the Peloponnese, several Aegean islands and Crete.
The Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection urged residents and tourists to avoid activities that could spark fires, including burning dry vegetation, branches or other waste. Authorities also reiterated that field burning remains prohibited throughout the current fire-prevention season.
The warning came as firefighters battled a wildfire that broke out in Koropi, Attica, on Sunday. Ground crews were supported by firefighting aircraft and helicopters as efforts continued to contain the blaze.
According to the National Observatory of Athens, more than 110,000 acres (44,500 hectares) were burned across the Attica region between July 31 and August 4 during intense heatwave conditions.
Greece is among several European countries facing severe wildfires this summer. EU data shows around 500,852 hectares (1.24 million acres) have burned across Europe since the beginning of the year.
The European Forest Fire Information System had recorded 1,528 fires across Europe as of August 6.