Athens Wildfires: Here’s What You Need to Know if You’re Traveling to Greece

Authorities indicated the elevated fire risk would last at least through Thursday. 

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reek emergency authorities have been battling wildfires that broke out near the capital, Athens, since Sunday afternoon. The fire broke out in the Varnavas, 30 miles from the capital, and has spread quickly under high wind conditions. Greece’s national fire service issued a warning for Athens and surrounding areas raising the fire risk to the highest level. 

The fires have spread fast through forests parched by a drier-than-normal winter and hotter-than-normal summer. More than 600 local firefighters are involved in fighting the fires on two major fronts, and the Greek government has requested assistance from other E.U. countries, receiving firefighting aircraft from France and Italy, plus additional firefighters from Czechia (also known as Czech Republic). 

More than a dozen residential communities in the surrounding areas have been evacuated, and some of the residents are being housed in Greece’s Olympic Sports complex north of the city. Because of the fast-moving nature of the fires and the limited access to threatened areas by local authorities, the extent of any fire damage is not yet clear. The fires have largely burned through forestland and are threatening structures as of late Monday evening local time.  

While the fires remain some distance away from the city, smoke from the fires has darkened the skies over central Athens, including over the famed Parthenon temple. Authorities indicated the elevated fire risk would last at least through Thursday. 

Travel advisories or warnings have largely not yet been issued for Athens, although the U.S. Embassy in Greece notes that U.S. citizens currently in Athens and surrounding areas can track the fire risk areas using a map published by local authorities, and follow instructions by local emergency services if they’re told to evacuate. 

Travel companies, including airlines, hotel companies, and cruise lines, have not yet issued flexible travel policies for Athens or surrounding areas, and most indications are that travel operations in Athens remained normal Monday. Travel insurers have also largely not yet issued coverage warnings for the fire threat. Coverage warnings are typically issued by insurers to indicate to buyers that an event is no longer “unknown” meaning that policies purchased after that date won’t cover related losses. 

Greek authorities had elevated fire risk earlier in the summer, as reported by the U.S. Embassy in Athens in late June. 

E.U. firefighting teams were also battling blazes in Bulgaria and northeastern Portugal this week, although neither fire had thus far threatened larger cities or major tourist areas. The fires in those countries were also linked to a drier winter and record heatwaves across the European continent this summer. 

The U.S. State Department encourages U.S. citizens traveling abroad to create contingency plans for emergencies, including keeping the location and contact information of embassies and U.S. consular offices available during your travels. Travelers can also sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) free of charge to register their travels with local consular officials so they can be contacted in the event of natural disasters or other security events that would affect the safety of U.S. citizens. 

Wildfires are common in Europe during the summer, but 2023 was noted as one of the worst years on record for wildfires. In early 2024 scientists warned that conditions in Southern Europe, in particular Italy, the Balkans, and Iberian Peninsula were optimal for another record fire season. The same reports indicated a milder-than-normal wildfire threat for much of Scandinavia because of record rainfall. 

Greece was also hard hit during the 2023 fire season, when the country was hit by the largest wildfire recorded on the European continent since the 1980s.