A total of 30 wildfires and rural fires were reported around Greece over the past day, with the fire brigade and civil protection saying 23 were immediately contained, with the remaining seven requiring a sustained response.
Meanwhile, fire brigade arson investigators announced three arrests and a same-number of fines on Thursday, for individuals arrested in separate locations around the country (the islands of Crete and Samothrace, and in the northern city of Giannitsa) for lighting a fire in a field and dumping a flammable substance outdoors.
Closer to Athens, a rural fire erupted near a photovoltaic facility near the town of Aghios Stefanos on Thursday afternoon, adjacent to the main north-south highway (E65). The blaze generated dense smoke.
A fire-fighting response, including two water-dropping planes, aimed to contain the fire outside the facility.
For Friday a very high risk of fire (category 4) is forecast for regions around the country, according to the general secretariat of Civil Protection (civilprotection.gov.gr).
The greater Athens-Piraeus area (Attica prefecture) is among the regions in the category.
Finally, the government on Thursday announced that it will provide both aerial and ground support to Spain and Portugal in combating the large wildfires currently raging in the Iberian Peninsula.
According to the ministry of climate crisis and civil protection, Greece, via the European Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), has deployed two Canadair CL-415 fire-fighting aircraft to Portugal to reinforce operations. A 20-member forest fire-fighting unit will also head to Spain.
