Strong winds and a heightened fire risk have put all City of Athens services on high alert. Under the measures set out for alert conditions, such as those in force for Attica tomorrow, Thursday (risk category 5, the highest level on Greece’s five-point fire danger scale), Lycabettus Hill and Finopoulos Hill will be closed to all activity, including visitor and vehicle access, from midnight tonight until further notice.

Under the municipality’s Civil Protection Plan, standby teams have been formed from staff at the Cleaning and Green Spaces departments. The Municipal Police will be on heightened alert with extra patrols, while drones fitted with thermal cameras, which detect temperature changes, will monitor the city’s largest green spaces, including Lycabettus, Strefi, Filopappou, Tourkovounia and Ilisia.

The Municipal Police Operations Centre will run on a 24-hour basis to liaise with and assist the Fire Service, as well as other agencies and municipalities if needed. The City of Athens’ water tankers will also remain on constant standby.

In addition, the Contractors’ Registry has been activated to boost fire protection at the City of Athens‘ summer camps in Agios Andreas, Attica, deploying two water cannon vehicles and two 4×4 vehicles.

In a statement, the city authority said: “We urge residents to be especially vigilant and, if they notice any danger, to contact the 24-hour Citizen Service Line on 1595 (charges vary by provider). We strongly advise residents: avoid hazardous outdoor work that could cause a fire.”

Given the heightened fire risk from strong winds over the coming days, the City of Athens is strongly advising the public to avoid any outdoor work that could start a fire, including the use of naked flames, spark-generating work, arc and gas welding, metal cutting with an angle grinder, blowtorch use, and any other hazardous activity.