Aegina is under a Category 4 fire danger warning - the second-highest level on the national five-point scale - for Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 August 2026, according to the daily Fire Risk Prediction Map issued by the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection. Category 4 means conditions are considered very dangerous for the outbreak and rapid spread of wildfire: high temperatures, dry vegetation, and wind combine to turn a single spark into a serious incident within minutes. The warning covers both days in full, and the risk map is reissued every afternoon, so the elevated level may be extended if conditions persist.
The practical consequence on Aegina is a preventive ban on access to the island's forest and protected areas while the warning is in force. This affects the wooded northeastern parts of the island, the pine forest around the Temple of Aphaia and above Agia Marina, the area of Palaiochora, the ancient olive grove, land around the monasteries, and the network of forest roads. Driving, parking, and walking in these zones is prohibited on high-risk days - the aim is simple: fewer people in the forest means fewer possible ignition sources and nobody trapped if a fire does start. If you had planned a walk to Palaiochora or a morning in the pine woods around Aphaia for these two days, postpone it. The beaches, the town, the harbour front, and the coastal villages are unaffected.
The standing fire-season rules apply with particular force on Category 4 days. No outdoor burning of any kind: no barbecues or grills outside licensed premises, no burning of garden cuttings or rubbish, no work that produces sparks such as welding or cutting near dry grass, and no cigarette ends discarded outdoors - a single butt in August vegetation is enough. These are not suggestions; violations during the fire season carry serious penalties, and on very-high-risk days enforcement is strict.
If you see smoke or flame anywhere on the island, call 112 - the European emergency number, which works from any phone and is answered in English - or the Aegina fire service directly on 22970 22171 or 22970 29199. Keep your phone charged and pay attention to any 112 alert messages, which the authorities send to all phones in an affected area with evacuation instructions if needed. Local emergency guidance for the Municipality of Aegina, including evacuation information you can save offline, is available through the civil protection portal at themis-cp.gr. Read our full guide to THEMIS and what it offers visitors to the island here.