UPDATE

Satellite image shows active fire fronts in Western Attica

The major forest fire in Western Attica remained active on Sunday (2/8) morning, according to the latest satellite data processed by the team at the National Observatory of Athens/meteo.gr.

The newest satellite hotspot detections show that during the night and early morning hours there was extensive activity in the area of Porto Germeno, east of Psatha, across the wider eastern and southeastern section of the already burnt area, as well as along the mountainous zone extending north of Megara.

The active satellite hotspot detections on Sunday morning are shown in yellow. The burnt area mapped between 30 July and Saturday, 1 August is shown in orange, while the burnt areas from previous months are shown in blue and green.

“Over 100,000 stremmas burnt in Attica and Boeotia”

Fire meteorologist Thodoris Giannaros describes the enormous scale of the destruction caused by the major wildfire in Boeotia and Attica in a post on social media.

He states that the latest data on the spread of the Agios Vasileios (Boeotia) fire shows it is very likely, if not almost certain, that the blaze will be classified as a megafire.

He also notes that, based on the hotspots detected up to dawn on Sunday, 2 August 2026, the area affected now exceeds 100,000 stremmas (roughly 10,000 hectares).

Improved picture of the fire in Aigialeia

The fire situation in Aigialeia has improved, though it remains active, according to the Fire Service.

At first light, two firefighting helicopters began water drops over the fire front, while strong ground forces continue to battle the flames.

Around 100 firefighters are currently operating in the area, supported by four ground crew teams and 30 vehicles, while fire crews managed to keep the blaze away from residential areas throughout the night.

Firefighters battled through the night to stop Greece’s Porto Germeno mega fire reaching Megara, as a fresh blaze forced evacuations on Kefalonia and crews also fought flames in Fokida

More than 66,000 stremmata (around 6,600 hectares) of forest and farmland have been reduced to ash by a mega fire raging across the wider Porto Germeno area and Boeotia, western Attica.

Settlements on Kefalonia were evacuated overnight after a fire broke out in the Pastra area. Greece’s 112 emergency alert system ordered residents of Kateleios, Markopoulo and Kremmydi to head towards the island’s capital, Argostoli. Authorities later triggered a further 112 alert, telling residents of Chionata, Thiramonas and Mavrata, in the Kefalonia regional unit, to leave immediately for Argostoli as the fire developed.

The Attica region, along with the Boeotia and Evia regional units of Central Greece, remain on Red Code alert, the country’s highest wildfire risk warning.

The large Porto Germeno fire is currently burning fiercely at Veniza, around five kilometres from Megara. Residents of Psatha have been moved to Alepochori and Megara. Helicopters began operating over western Attica at around 6:30am.

Dozens of homes have been destroyed around Porto Germeno, with early estimates putting the number at more than 100. Explosions continue to be heard in the Veniza area, where the fire is burning close to the Megara military firing range.

A huge firefighting operation is underway, with 496 firefighters and 22 ground crews from the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 10th and 18th EMODE (Greece’s Special Disaster Response Units), together with volunteers and 134 vehicles, deployed across Attica and Boeotia.

They are being reinforced by 23 firefighters and four vehicles from France and a further 23 firefighters and four vehicles from Romania, part of a pre-positioning of European firefighting crews in Greece.

Water tankers and heavy machinery have also been supplied by the Attica and Central Greece regional authorities, with support from the Deukalion disaster response team, the Directorate for Construction and Natural Disaster Response, the Hellenic Police (ELAS), the National Centre for Emergency Care (EKAB), and buses from the Fire Service and the armed forces to help move residents.

The fiercest fighting overnight was concentrated at Porto Germeno, where the fire has split into two dangerous fronts. The eastern front stretches from Kryo Pigadi, Agia Paraskevi and Agios Nektarios towards Vilia, while the southern front is moving through Porto Germeno, Psatha and Veniza, the area of greatest concern, with firefighters focused on preventing it from reaching Megara.

Ground crews are concentrated mainly on the southern front, trying to keep the fire away from Psatha and the Veniza settlement, while a separate battle is under way at Agios Nektarios to stop the flames reaching Vilia. A series of 112 alerts have been issued ordering residents out of Alepochori, Psatha, Veniza, Loumpa, Zachouli, Agia Paraskevi, Kryo Pigadi and Agios Nektarios.

Separately, 11 people have been arrested on suspicion of starting fires in Argolida, Ilia, Serres, Attica and Lesvos. Fire Service investigators found that the major blaze at Fichti, near Argos and Mycenae, was sparked during agricultural work, when a tractor fitted with a mulcher threw off sparks. A 57 year old man and a 53 year old woman were arrested at the scene.

A fire also continues to burn at Skoloma in Fokida, where 64 firefighters, including two teams from the 6th EMODE, and 15 vehicles are deployed. The 112 system has ordered evacuations in the settlements of Klima, Pigi, Koukoura, Nea Koukoura, Magoula, Pefkaki and Efpalio.