Kassandra: application deadline extended for fire victims

The deadline for submitting applications for temporary accommodation has been extended to Wednesday 19 August 2026 for residents affected by the fire of 13 August in the area of the Municipality of Kassandra in Halkidiki. Applications are submitted electronically through a platform hosted on the website of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection. The platform was created by the Ministry of Tourism in cooperation with the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels and operates alongside the services provided by the Region and the municipalities.

The mechanism draws accommodation from the area’s hotel capacity and makes it available to those who have temporarily lost the ability to live in their own homes. That choice matters particularly in Halkidiki, where the fire broke out at the peak of the tourist season and the availability of beds is limited. The fact that an extension of the deadline was judged necessary suggests that some of those entitled had not managed to apply within the original window, something common in the first days after a disaster, when those affected face practical problems in accessing documents and services.

Temporary housing is the first stage in a broader set of recovery measures, which then includes the recording of damage by teams from the competent services, initial relief payments and, where applicable, compensation. These procedures are carried out by different bodies and over different time frames, which often creates confusion among those entitled. The municipal authorities of Kassandra and the Region of Central Macedonia are also maintaining their own information points.

The fire of 13 August on the Kassandra peninsula occupied firefighting forces for days and became the subject of political dispute over the extent of the destruction, with the government and the opposition presenting different readings of the toll. It comes during a particularly heavy period for the firefighting service, with the Fire Brigade having recorded 34 rural and forest fires in a twenty-four-hour period over the same stretch. Those concerned can find information about the required documents through the same platform.