Greece will endure a three-day heatwave starting tomorrow with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, the country's civil protection minister has said, warning of a high wildfire risk.
The heat "will peak on Wednesday and Thursday," Vassilis Kikilias told reporters ahead of a cross-ministry meeting.
As a result, Greece's fire risk warning will be placed at a "very high" level of four on a scale of five, he said.
Meteorologists had warned that temperatures could hit 43C this week before falling at the weekend.
Greece had its warmest winter on record, followed by higher-than-normal temperatures in April.
Wildfires, a perennial problem in the Greek summer, started as early as March at an altitude of over 1,000 metres.
This month, firefighters have battled dozens of forest fires on a daily basis.
"It will be a very difficult fire season," Mr Kikilias said.
Greece has adopted stiffer sentences for accidental and premeditated arson.
From 1 May, perpetrators will face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to €200,000.
According to the National Observatory of Athens, fires in 2023 consumed nearly 175,000 hectares of forest and farmland in Greece after a two-week heatwave, the longest on record.
Increased temperatures driven by human-caused fossil-fuel emissions are lengthening fire seasons and causing more land to be burned in some places, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
