Two Fires Break Out in Astakos and Platania, Drama

Two fires broke out on Thursday 10 September 2026 in different parts of the country, mobilizing significant firefighting forces. In Astakos, Aetolia-Acarnania, the fire in low vegetation was recorded around 14:45, with 22 firefighters, 7 vehicles, 2 aircraft and one hiking team from the 6th EMEDE operating at the site; at the time of the news publication, around 15:34, extinguishing operations were ongoing. Hours later, in Platania of Paranestio Municipality, in Drama prefecture, a second fire broke out in agricultural-forest area, with 35 firefighters, 4 vehicles, 4 aircraft and three hiking teams operating; the news was published around 18:06 with an update around 18:28, at which point extinguishing operations remained ongoing.

The two fires broke out on the same day the Firefighting Service had issued a high fire danger alert for 18 regions of the country, category 3 and with a yellow alert. On the same Thursday, fires also occurred in Trikala and Larisa, a fact that shows how widespread the fire risk was in many areas of the country that day. The escalation of hazard category does not concern a single location, but reflects a combination of weather conditions—high temperatures, low humidity and wind—that favour rapid spread of fires even in advanced stages of summer. Such alerts classify risk by region on a scale that reaches up to category 5, so that citizens and authorities take increased preventive measures where deemed necessary.

For the local communities of Astakos and Platania, the presence of air and ground forces in such a short time from the start of each fire is a decisive factor in containing the fire before it spreads to residential areas. Aircraft conduct water drops from the air to hold back the fire front and delay its spread, while hiking teams work on the ground, opening firebreaks and extinguishing fires that are not accessible by vehicles or in difficult-to-reach places. This combination of means, as well as the larger number of forces deployed in Drama compared to Astakos, reflects both the extent of each incident and the availability of Firefighting Service resources at that specific time of day.

As of the time of publication of the two news items, there was no official update yet on the final outcome of either fire, nor information on cause, extent of burnt land or possible impacts on infrastructure and property. The composition of hiking teams that operated in Drama was reported differently by different media outlets, which is why specific units are not mentioned here for this particular incident. Extinguishing operations usually continue after sunset, when air assets are withdrawn due to limited visibility and the burden passes exclusively to ground forces until the next morning, until there is further official information from the Firefighting Service on the progress of both fires.