Aegina: fire-detection system at the Temple of Aphaia

The archaeological site of the Temple of Aphaia on Aegina is among the first eight in the country where the new early fire-detection system is already operating, as announced on Thursday 20 August 2026. According to aegina365.gr, alongside Aphaia the first phase also covers Mystras, Epidaurus, Mycenae, Dion, Platamonas, Peristeria in Messinia and Ancient Olympia. The system is based on thermal and optical cameras able to rotate 360 degrees, which continuously scan the wider area. Notification is automated, while images and data are transmitted in real time to the Control Centres. Operators are sent the location of the possible fire source, the time the alarm was triggered and the status of the equipment.

The system’s first real test came on 31 July 2026, during the fire at Fichtia in Argolida, when the equipment at Mycenae detected the blaze and automatically alerted the Coordinating Control Centre. The network is being rolled out in phases: by 31 August 2026 another six systems are due to go into operation, at the Acropolis, the Palace of Nestor, Ancient Messene, Hosios Loukas, Nikopolis in Preveza and Phaistos. In September eight more will be added, at Knossos, Delphi, Tatoi, Mount Athos, Souriza in Lavreotiki, Dodoni, Samothraki and Thasos. The final network will cover 22 locations.

Beyond the cameras, the network’s equipment includes meteorological stations, regional and coordinating Control Centres, as well as portable firefighting cannons. The combination seeks to compress the time between a fire starting and the first intervention, which is the most critical factor in forest fires. For Attica the network is of direct interest: besides Aphaia, it takes in the Acropolis, Tatoi and Souriza in Lavreotiki, three sites with very different characteristics, from the centre of Athens to forest land on Parnitha and in Lavreotiki. The need for early detection has been shown repeatedly this year, with the communities of the Argosaronic counting the consequences, as in Salamina, with rubble and branches piled up after the fires.

The Temple of Aphaia stands on a pine-covered hill in the north-eastern part of Aegina and is one of the most important examples of Archaic temple architecture, as well as a key destination for visitors to the island. Its position, inside forest land and in an area exposed to strong winds, makes the fire risk a real one, especially in periods of high temperatures such as those recently recorded in Attica with temperatures of 38 degrees. The overall budget for the network has not been announced, nor which body will operate and maintain the equipment at each site. It has also not been made known how many cameras have been installed at Aphaia specifically, or whether the network is to be expanded beyond the 22 locations.