Key actors — tap for context
Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Prime Minister of Greece since 2019, leader of the conservative Nea Dimokratia.
Why here: He warned that the country faces extremely difficult days ahead and pointed out that with winds of around one hundred kilometers per hour, even dozens of firefighting aircraft cannot safely operate.
More info →Ioannis Apostolou
Mayor of the town of Stylis in central Greece, who, according to RTÉ, owns an electrical installation company.
Why here: Greek authorities, according to RTÉ, placed him in investigative custody on suspicion of responsibility for the megafire at Porto Germeno; if found guilty, he faces more than ten years in prison.
Michalis Giannakos
Chairman of the Greek trade union federation of public hospital employees POEDIN.
Why here: He stated that since June 15, eight female tourists sought treatment at the hospital in Zakynthos, who stated that they had become victims of rape.
Giorgos Emmanouil
Meteorologist at the public broadcasting station ERT.
Why here: He predicts the strengthening of meltemi in the Aegean Sea locally up to eight degrees on the Beaufort scale and does not expect more significant transportation problems for now.
Crete
The largest Greek island and an independent administrative region.
Why here: The fourth level of fire risk applies to it, and in the area of Achladia near Sitia, a vegetation fire broke out Friday evening near a wind farm.
More info →
Sitia
A port city on the northeastern coast of Crete in the Lasithi region, with a port and seasonally serviced airport.
Why here: In its surroundings, in the area of Achladia, a fire broke out Friday evening in strong winds.
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Zakynthos
An island in the Ionian Sea, the southernmost part of the archipelago, one of the most popular destinations for British and Central European tourists.
Why here: Police there record three reports of tourist rape since May; a hospital expert speaks of eight women treated.
More info →Laganas
A resort in Laganas Bay on the southern coast of Zakynthos, known for its nightlife.
Why here: According to the expert, most of the cases handled by the hospital are linked to this area.
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Samos
An island in the northeastern Aegean Sea off the Turkish coast.
Why here: It is among areas with a fourth-level fire risk and also among islands that Turks can visit on a simplified visa.
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Chios
An island in the northeastern Aegean Sea, the fifth largest Greek island.
Why here: Together with Samos and Ikaria, the fourth level of fire risk applies to it.
More info →
Ikaria
An island in the Aegean Sea southwest of Samos.
Why here: It is among four areas for which civil protection declared very high fire risk on Saturday.
More info →meltemi
A summer northerly wind in the Aegean Sea that blows roughly from May to September and is strongest in July and August. Ancient Greeks called it etesian winds.
Why here: It cools the heat, but at seven to eight degrees on the Beaufort scale it restricts ferries and at the same time fans fires.
Porto Germeno
A seaside resort on the Corinthian Gulf about 60 kilometers from Athens.
Why here: The fire there, according to investigators, damaged more than 120 buildings and homes.
POEDIN
Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees, the largest trade union in Greek healthcare.
Why here: Its chairman released figures from the hospital in Zakynthos that differ from police statistics.
Fire map: the fifth level by Thursday
- The fire on Kos is contained and in Rethymno no longer has an active front, firefighters are fighting to suppress flare-ups there. Protothema ↗Protothema ↗
- The very high fire risk that wave 4 reported broadly now has a specific number: it applies to 21 regions. Protothema ↗
- The risk in Halkidiki turned into an actual fire: the one in Siviri does not have a unified front and 481 people were evacuated from the beach by sea To Vima ↗Protothema ↗
- German and Danish media describe the evacuation of tourists by boats directly from the beaches, with reports of more than 250 people Spiegel ↗Politiken ↗
- Hoteliers in the region are providing rooms to people who were driven from their homes by the fire 24 Chasa ↗
- On Thursday, August 13, civil protection declared the fifth level, i.e., a state of alert, for Attica, Boeotia, Euboea, Argolid, Corinth, and Lesbos. This is exactly the level that this article had described since Saturday as not yet declared. To Vima ↗
- The fourth level applies on Thursday also for holiday destinations where Slovaks and Czechs go: Zakynthos, Cephalonia, Lefkas, Halkidiki, Thasos, and the Cyclades. Crete, which was at the top of the list on Saturday, is no longer on it at all. To Vima ↗
- On Wednesday afternoon, a fire broke out in Loutropyrgos in western Attica and the 112 system called for the evacuation of three settlements. People from Tolki, Neraki, and Loutropyrgos are to leave via the old national road heading toward Nea Peramos, with 32 firefighters, 11 vehicles, three aircraft, and two helicopters involved. To Vima ↗
- In the northeast of the country, a fire burned near the village of Imeros in the Rhodope region in Thrace, and 112 also sent an evacuation call for two areas there. Protothema ↗
- On Crete, firefighters contained the fire in Mylopotamos near Rethymno and it no longer has an active front, but units remained on site. Protothema ↗
- On Monday, Red Code applies to seven regions at once — north winds up to 8 Beaufort and temperatures around 39 degrees. To Vima ↗
- A new fire is burning in Kouvaras in Attica: the settlement of Agios Stylianos was evacuated, a factory and livestock farms were consumed by the flames. Nine aircraft and helicopters are involved, the fire retreated into a gorge. Protothema ↗Naftemporiki ↗To Vima ↗
- Road traffic near Kouvaras is interrupted — Naftemporiki listed which sections. Naftemporiki ↗
- In Halkidiki, movement in forest areas has been prohibited due to fire risk, with a fine of 300 euros. Politika ↗
- A new fire on Naxos in the area of Mikri Vigla, a helicopter flew to the location; according to evening reports, the situation improved. Protothema ↗Naftemporiki ↗
- Athens is closing Finopoulou hill from midnight due to increased fire risk with strong winds. This shows that preventive closures do not affect only island trails, but also urban green spaces. Protothema ↗Naftemporiki ↗
- During a major fire on the border of Attica and Boeotia, firefighters evacuated more than 250 people by sea. This is a practical reminder that in Greek coastal areas, the escape route often goes through the beach, not through a road. Protothema ↗
Greek civil protection works with a five-level scale and on Saturday declared the fourth level for Crete and for the islands of Chios, Samos, and Ikaria, meaning very high risk. On the map it has an orange color, although some Greek media mark it in headlines as a red alert. The difference is practical: the fifth level means a state of emergency preparedness with additional movement restrictions. ERT ↗
This has concrete prohibitions for tourists. During the fire prevention period, burning vegetation is prohibited, as is the use of tools that spark, i.e., circular saws and welders, and civil protection explicitly advises against grilling in nature. Fire is reported on the number 199. Protothema ↗
However, the most practical impact of the fourth level is different and many holidaymakers encounter it only on the spot. At this level, the civil protection of the Crete region preventively closes forests, gorges, and sections of hiking trails, so a planned hike can be cancelled in the morning on the day of departure. On Crete, sections of the European route E4 between Balos and Falasarna and between Sougia and Agia Roumeli are closed, as are the Rethymnos gorges Mylon, Margarites, and Patsos, and the forest on the island of Gavdos; the Palm Forest of Vai has a night access ban from 22:00 to 6:00, and violators face fines. The map for the following day is published by civil protection every afternoon, so it is worth checking it the evening before. Argophilia ↗
This is not a theoretical risk. On Crete on Friday evening, a fire broke out in the Achladia area near the city of Sitia near a wind turbine park where strong winds were blowing. Near Velestino close to Volos, firefighters got the fire partially under control, but strong units remained on site. Protothema ↗
Megafire at Porto Germeno Ended with Charges
- This year, Greece saw 281 arrests for fires, but only 29 of them were for arson. The remaining 252 cases, nearly 90 percent, were for fires from negligence, said Giannis Artopios on behalf of the fire department in state television ERT. Since 2024, arsonists face up to 20 years in prison and fines up to 200,000 euros. La Libre ↗
- According to firefighters, a fire on Zakynthos was triggered by an off-road vehicle that was taking tourists to historic sites. Investigators detained a 50-year-old Greek and a 40-year-old foreigner in Marathias for starting a fire through negligence. Protothema ↗
- A fine of 3,000 euros was imposed for a portable charcoal grill on a day with grade four fire danger. A man was detained in Stamate in Attica in the yard of a residential house in a forested zone, and a 63-year-old was detained on Lesbos for welding on the same high-risk day. Protothema ↗
- The fire in Kouvaras, which the article reported on Monday, was caused by sparks from a low-voltage cable according to investigators' findings so far. Three residents saw sparks on a pole near an abandoned poultry farm, which eventually burned down, and an expert inspection is yet to come. This is the second major fire this year caused by electrical wiring; at Porto Germeno it was a medium-voltage line. To Vima ↗
- In Sindos near Thessaloniki, a 59-year-old man was detained who allegedly set six fires since August 8, four of them on Tuesday. According to the investigation, he was igniting dry grass, reeds, and fields from a car; he faces charges of intentional and repeated arson and will be brought before a prosecutor. Protothema ↗
- Burned areas in western Attica will receive anti-erosion and initial flood prevention work worth 1.5 million euros. The work is to begin before September 15, thus before the period of heavy rains, and mapping of burned areas is complete. The work is financed by Piraeus bank in the role of a so-called restorer, which is a Greek institution from 2021 that allows private companies to restore burned forests. The work itself will be done by specialized entities designated by the bank. Protothema ↗
- From Monday, compensation applications can be submitted for the fires in western Attica — the state will reimburse repairs and reconstruction in full. Protothema ↗
- The fire department denies claims that it left units in western Attica without food and water. Naftemporiki ↗
- Three more arrests — on Lesbos and in Corinth — for negligent fire-starting. Greek authorities are thus continuing the line begun by the Porto Germeno case: searching for a specific culprit, not just "the weather." Naftemporiki ↗
The largest fire of the summer at the Corinthian Gulf has had defendants since Friday. Greek authorities have placed the mayor of the town of Stylida, Ioannis Apostolou, who owns an electrical installation company, his supplier, and the owner of the wind park in investigative custody. They face charges of arson and damage to public infrastructure, and if found guilty face more than ten years in prison. RTÉ ↗
According to investigators, the fire started on July 31 from a spark from a medium-voltage line near the wind park close to the coastal village of Agios Vasileios, about 85 kilometers northwest of Athens. Wind gusts reached 130 kilometers per hour and flames spread to the southern slopes of Mount Kithairon as far as a town about 40 kilometers from the capital. In the resort of Porto Germeno, the fire damaged more than 120 buildings and homes. TASR ↗
One detail is significant. There was already a fire on the same line, on June 27, according to Greek news agency ANA. The owner of the turbines faces charges that he failed to clear vegetation under the line, and authorities suspended the wind park's operations. Residents had tried unsuccessfully more than ten years earlier to block its construction through legal means. RTÉ ↗
The season's toll is heavy. According to news agency SITA, 220 forest fires broke out in the country by August 3 over the preceding days, and together with three firefighters who died in Crete and the Peloponnese, they claimed five lives. Two pilots, a Greek and a Dane, died in a collision of firefighting helicopters in the Psatha area. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis then warned that the country faces extremely difficult days ahead, and pointed out that in winds of around one hundred kilometers per hour, even dozens of firefighting aircraft cannot operate safely. SITA ↗
Meltemi Strengthens, Temperatures Remain Below Forty
- The ban on sailings from Rafina and Lavrio, which wave 4 announced, is ending: it is in effect until 1 p.m., and departures from Piraeus are also changing. Naftemporiki ↗Protothema ↗
- Rough winds continue, with winds of up to nine on the Beaufort scale in the Aegean Sea. Naftemporiki ↗
- Despite problems at Attica ports, increased departures are expected for the Assumption of Mary holiday. Naftemporiki ↗
- Meltemi will intensify again for the next two days, a ban on sailings from Rafina and Lavrio is in effect, connections from Piraeus are canceled and fire risk is very high Protothema ↗Naftemporiki ↗To Vima ↗
- Strong winds complicate departures for the long weekend, ports should expect disruptions Naftemporiki ↗
- On Thursday, meltemi in the Aegean Sea is expected to intensify to seven to eight on the Beaufort scale. To Vima ↗ The wind also drives down the heat: gusts exceed 120 kilometers per hour and according to meteorologist Theodoros Kolydas, the maximum temperature in Athens will drop from approximately 35 degrees to 29 to 30 around August 14 and 15, because the stronger the wind blows through the Euripus Strait, the cooler the city is. No widespread disruption to ferry services has been reported so far. To Vima ↗
- Alert for stormy meltemi and high temperatures at once — meteorologist Tsatraphyllias sketched it out in maps. Protothema ↗
- Drought has reached even tourist resorts: in Sarti on Halkidiki, they shut down showers in beach bars. 24 Chasa ↗
- Saturday evening alarm: To Vima speaks of "dangerous 48 hours" with winds up to 9 on the Beaufort scale and names "red" areas. That is one degree more than the morning forecast indicated — at nine on the scale, ferry disruptions should be expected, not just delays. To Vima ↗
Meltemi is more important for inter-island travel than temperature. It arises from the pressure difference between higher pressure over the Balkans and the thermal low over Turkey, blowing mainly during the day and intensifying in the afternoon. According to ERT meteorologist Giorgos Emmanouel, it blew at five to six on the Beaufort scale over most of the Aegean Sea on Saturday, locally seven in the southeast, and in the coming days meltemi is expected to intensify locally to as much as eight on the scale. No major transport problems are expected for now, but in such wind it pays to verify ferry departures directly with the carrier. ERT ↗
Temperatures remain high across the mainland, with maximums reaching 37 to 38 degrees Celsius and locally 39 in western Greece. It is precisely the combination of heat and strengthening wind that is why civil protection maintains heightened alert.
In practice, this means three habits. Keep SMS alerts from the 112 system enabled on your phone, which distributes evacuation instructions in English in Greece, check the civil protection map in the evening for the next day, and with winds of seven to eight on the scale, verify ferry departures directly with the carrier or port authority, not according to the original timetable.
Zakynthos: Three Reports, or Eight Treated?
- Greece Reports Nine Deaths from West Nile Fever, Moldovan Public Health Authority Issues Recommendation to Its Travelers. (Newsmaker ↗)Headlines about an alleged wave of tourist rapes on Zakynthos appeared over the weekend in Slovak and Czech media, but the numbers vary depending on who published them. The General Regional Police Directorate of the Ionian Islands stated that from May 2026 to August 6, it received three reports of rape, for which it immediately launched legal procedures, and that it made two arrests. enikos.gr ↗
A day earlier, Michalis Giannakos, chairman of the POEDIN union federation, said that since June 15, eight tourists seeking treatment at a hospital on Zakynthos reported being victims of rape, with most cases related to the Laganas area. The difference between the two numbers does not necessarily mean that one side is lying. Not every hospital treatment results in a criminal report, and the police count only reports that actually reach them. HN ↗
Driving and Fuller Islands
- Greece Introduces Special Road Measures for the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God 24 Chasa ↗
- 134 Migrants Rescued in Two Operations near Crete Protothema ↗
- Two Excursion Boats Collided in Voutoumi Bay near Antipaxos, one carrying 203 people, the other ten. No injuries were reported; three people were taken preventively to a medical facility on Paxos, and the larger boat sailed to Corfu on its own power with a coast guard escort. To Vima ↗
- A Dead 72-Year-Old Swede Found on a Beach on Rhodes. Protothema ↗
- Solar Eclipse on August 12 Drives European Hotel Prices Up by up to 650 Percent — Greek media talk about a tourism boom worth millions. Protothema ↗
- Tax Authority AADE Reports 320,000 Tip-offs and Targets Inspections at Tourist Destinations, Cash Registers, and Card Payments. Protothema ↗
- A Four-Year-Old Boy Drowned in the Pool of a Beach Bar on Paros, a bartender tried to rescue him. Pools at beach establishments typically do not have lifeguards — it is a risk that parents don't account for at Greek resorts. To Vima ↗Protothema ↗
Unlike Croatia, where the border with Montenegro collapsed this week, a Slovak or Czech traveling to Greece can avoid the external Schengen border if they go through Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. Both of the latter countries have been full members of the Schengen area, including land borders, since January 1, 2025, so systematic checks at these crossings have been eliminated, although random police checks in the interior remain possible. The shorter route through Serbia and North Macedonia, on the other hand, means four border checks and queues in August.
Read also: Vacation in Croatia: 15-Hour Queues at the Border, Alcohol Ban in Split and Raids on Towels
A new group of visitors has appeared on the islands. Turkey and Greece have been operating a visa-on-arrival system since April 2024, which originally applied to ten and now applies to twelve islands, including Rhodes, Chios, Kos, and Samos. A Turkish tourist can stay there for a maximum of seven days and cannot continue to the mainland or other Schengen countries. According to the Greek Central Bank, almost 1.5 million Turks visited Greece in 2025 compared to 1.2 million the previous year, so during the peak season this means fuller ferries and restaurants on the affected islands. SITA ↗
A reminder that the sea is dangerous even in calm weather is a case from early August. A 42-year-old Dutch woman drowned near the Malia resort on the north coast of Crete while trying to rescue a friend who became ill while swimming. The women had rented a boat with three minor children; the children called for help from passersby. NOS ↗
What hotinfo Monitors
- The Porto Germeno investigation: why the power line stayed in operation after the fire of June 27
- ELAS publishes updated statistics on reports from Zakynthos
- A meltemi of 8+ Bft restricts ferry traffic in the Cyclades and the Dodecanese
- A court rules on custody or charges for the mayor of Stylida, Ioannis Apostolou
- Civil protection raises the fire risk on Crete or in the northern Aegean to level five→ Dovolenka v Grécku: stav pohotovosti pri Aténach a Lesbose, vietor meltemi až 8…Splnené 12.8.2026: civilná ochrana vyhlásila na štvrtok 13.8. piaty stupeň (stav pohotovosti) pre Attiku, Boiótiu, Euboiu, Argolidu, Korintiu a Lesbos, teda pre severné Egejské more. Kréta z rizikovej mapy vypadla. Zaznamenané vlnou 3 v čl. 1328029.
