Smoke plume from Greek wildfires seen by Sentinel-3

Hot, dry and windy conditions have seen numerous wildfires break out in the last few days in the region of Viotia, northwest of Athens, Greece. 

This image, captured on 2 August 2026 by the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission, reveals the scale of the cloud of smoke from the wildfires. The smoke plume can be seen drifting southward and stretching across large areas of the Mediterranean Sea.

In response to the wildfires, the Copernicus Emergency Mapping Service was activated. The service uses satellite observations to help civil protection authorities and, in cases of disaster, the international humanitarian community, respond to emergencies.

On the same day, Copernicus Sentinel-2 captured a closer view of the affected area showing the active fire front.

From orbit, Earth-observing satellites offer a unique way of tracking the spread of fires and the extent of smoke plumes, as well as supporting emergency crews battling the blazes on the ground.