Red Code on Friday: eight regions on alert

The General Secretariat of Civil Protection issued the daily Fire Danger Prediction Map for Friday, September 4, 2026, placing eight regions of the country in danger category 4, that is, in a state of very high danger, known as “Red Code”. The list includes the Region of Attica, the Regional Unit of Lesbos, the Regional Unit of Chios, the Regional Unit of Samos, the Regional Unit of Ikaria, the Regional Unit of Cyclades, the Regional Unit of Euboea, and the Region of Crete. This concerns both large mainland areas and a series of island destinations in the Aegean, which are at the peak of the tourist season. This classification, announced daily by Civil Protection, reflects the conditions expected to encourage the occurrence and rapid spread of fires during the day, based on data on temperature, humidity, wind, and vegetation dryness.

Friday’s map comes after a day with multiple active fire fronts in different parts of the country, such as Fires in Karystos, Thebes and Florina and the ongoing operation in Florina: overnight battle with the fire. The weather conditions described in the forecast for Weather Thursday September 3 are connected, according to Civil Protection, to the increased danger recorded in island and mainland areas over the next two days.

Category 4 is the second highest on the five-level danger scale used by Civil Protection, behind only category 5, which corresponds to an alert status. Designating a region as very high danger does not automatically mean that a fire will occur, but indicates that the conditions of temperature, humidity, and wind favor rapid spread in case a fire starts. For this reason, authorities call for heightened caution in the eight regions on the list, especially during midday and afternoon hours, when conditions typically worsen. The map is published daily and updated according to weather condition developments, so citizens, municipalities, and operational forces have timely information about the danger before each day.

Civil Protection recommends avoiding outdoor activities that may cause fire, such as burning dry grass, using welding or work that produces sparks, especially near forest and agricultural areas. Citizens who spot a fire are called to immediately notify the Fire Service at telephone 199 or the European Emergency Number 112. A new danger prediction map is expected to be issued by Civil Protection in the afternoon of Friday, September 4, 2026, with an updated assessment for the next two days.