Administrative regions of Greece

Five regions in Greece will be at very high risk of fires on Saturday, based on the Fire Risk Forecast Map issued by the General Secretariat of Civil Protection of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection.

The National Meteorological Service has issued a warning of wet and stormy weather expected in parts of western and northern Greece from Saturday afternoon to early Sunday, as the weather system "Petar" makes its way to the country's shores.

The Civil Protection Ministry has warned of a "very high risk" of fire in six of the country's 13 regions on Saturday.

The General Secretariat of Civil Protection issued its daily fire risk prediction map, forecasting extreme risk of fire (risk category 5) for seven regions of Greece on Thursday.

The Civil Protection Ministry has warned of an "extreme danger" of fire in six of the country's 13 regions on Wednesday.

A motorway bridge into Patra collapsed on Sunday leaving at least one dead, two people pinned under the rubble and seven injured, with at least one being seriously injured.

The bridge had structural problems in the past and was under repair since 2021. The Olympia Odos motorway had closed the road due to demolition works and there was no traffic on the bridge.

The fire in Mandra that had been burning for most of last week was reignited around noon on Sunday.

There are ground forces and two aircraft operating on the scene. They had been stationed in the area due to the high risk of fire on Sunday.

The authorities stopped traffic on the road connecting Elefsina to Thiva.

After average temperatures of 36.3 and a high of 42.6 degrees Celsius recorded by the country's weather stations on Friday, the mercury is expected to rise again slightly over the weekend and to reach 45C in places.

The country is facing a prolonged heat wave, one "worse than that of 1987," according to Antonis Lalos, director of the National Meteorological Service (NMS).

The Civil Protection Ministry has issued a warning regarding a significant risk of fires on Monday. Despite the projected temperature drop of 2-4 degrees Celsius until Wednesday, concerns persist due to the expected strong winds and temperatures reaching 7 Beaufort in the Aegean region.

"Kleon," the scorching heatwave currently sweeping across the country, is set to continue on Saturday, with meteorologists predicting highs of 41 degrees Celsius in many areas of the country.

The pick up in the wind, which will reach force 7 in the Aegean from Sunday to Wednesday, will cause temperatures to drop slightly.