Civil Protection places Crete under ‘Red Code’ wildfire alert for Sunday
Greece’s General Secretariat for Civil Protection placed the Region of Crete, along with several Aegean island regional units, under full “Red Code” mobilization for Sunday, August 30, 2026, citing very high wildfire risk.
According to the team that prepares the Daily Fire Risk Forecast Map, the wildfire danger for Sunday is rated at category 4, described as “very high,” across Crete and the regional units of Samos and Ikaria in the North Aegean, and Rhodes, Kalymnos, Kos and Karpathos in the South Aegean.
Under Red Code mobilization, the National Mechanism is placed on full alert, deploying personnel and equipment for readiness, emergency response and short-term recovery and support actions aimed at mitigating the effects of a disaster, should one occur. Crete has faced repeated Red Code wildfire alerts this summer, with a meteorologist previously attributing the elevated risk to wind, heat and the island’s terrain.
Restrictions in force across Crete
Under Fire Department Regulation 9/24, authorities banned the burning of crop residues, grassland and pasture vegetation; the use of open fire outdoors for any event, including religious, cultural, entertainment or film-production activities; smoking near beehives; hot works such as welding and use of cutting wheels; outdoor grills of any fuel type; sky lanterns and hot-air balloons; and the use of fireworks.
The order also prohibits the passage, presence and movement of people and vehicles in a series of designated forests, gorges and trails across the island’s four regional units, as detailed below.
Closed forests and gorges by regional unit
In Heraklion, the restricted areas include the forests of Symi (Municipality of Viannos), Rouvas-Zaros (Municipalities of Gortyna and Faistos), Koudouma (Gortyna), Keri (Malevizi), and Fourni, Giouchtas and Epanosifi, all within the Municipality of Archanes-Asterousia.
In Lasithi, closures apply to the Azilakodasos and Vathi forests, the Kritsa cypress forest and Krousta forest (all Municipality of Agios Nikolaos), Thripti forest and Selakano forest (Municipality of Ierapetra), Kalo Chorio forest (Agios Nikolaos) and neighboring Meselera (Ierapetra), the Vai palm forest in the Municipality of Sitia (restricted nightly from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.), the Pefkoseli forest at Schinokapsala (Ierapetra), and the Richtis and Zakros gorges (Sitia), the Kritsa gorge (Agios Nikolaos), and the Chochlakies, Sarakina and Pervolakia gorges spanning Sitia and Ierapetra municipalities.
In Rethymno, the ban covers the peri-urban forests of Evligia, Profitis Ilias and Agios Ioannis, the reforestation zone south of Arkadi Monastery, the Paradeisos Armenon woodland and the Mylon gorge, all in the Municipality of Rethymno; the peri-urban forests of Kissos, Angouseliana and Agios Ioannis in the Municipality of Agios Vasileios; the section of the Kourtaliotis river monitored by the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (OFYPEKA) and the Municipality of Agios Vasileios down to its estuary, excluding the sandy part of the beach; the Margarites gorge in the Municipality of Mylopotamos; and the Agios Antonios Patsos gorge in the Municipality of Amari.
In Chania, the closures affect sections of the European E4 trail between Balos and Falasarna (Municipality of Kissamos), between Krios and Elafonisi and between Sougia and Gialiskari (Municipality of Kantanos-Selino), and between Sougia and Agia Roumeli (Municipalities of Kantanos-Selino and Sfakia); the Kathiana wind-park area and the Prevantoriou-Pefkon forest and Agios Matthaios peri-urban forest, all in the Municipality of Chania; and the forests of Agios Ioannis and Korfos on the island of Gavdos.
Maps and exemptions
Maps showing the exact boundaries of the restricted areas, prepared in cooperation with Crete’s Forest Directorates, are published on the Region of Crete’s civil protection page. People who live or work within the restricted zones are exempt from the ban, according to the announcement.
The measures follow a similar mobilization reported over the weekend, when authorities closed forests, gorges and trails across Crete under a comparable alert, and a day earlier, when the island was rated at category 5 wildfire risk, prompting further closures. Hikers planning routes through Crete’s gorges should check current restrictions before setting out.
