So far, there is a notable drop in fire outbreaks compared to last year, Climate Crisis & Civil Protection Minister Yiannis Kefalogiannis told national broadcater ERT on Saturday, but he called for continuous vigilance and observance of Civil Protection guidelines. "We have already surpassed a total of 3,300 fire breakouts since the start of the year," he added.

Kefalogiannis stressed that timely notification and the enforced firefighting mechanism have averted the spread of fires, as in Grammatiko, where the fire was quickly placed under control with the help of 18 aircraft means and strong ground forces. This particular fire was caused by a large bird that flew into electricity lines, he said. "The cause of a fire can vary: arson, negligence, criminal intent, even a chance event," the minister noted.

The minister also referred to the high number of property owners who registered online as having cleared their properties of flammable material (700,000) as satisfactory and to the additional funding municipalities received this year (40 million euros in total) that allow them to do more in terms of civil protection. In addition, Greece will have access to 80-85 aircraft this year (30-35 belonging to national forces, the rest being leased), and a total of 18,000 firefighters (11,500 permanent or on five-year contracts and 2,500 seasonal ones).