Every year the high temperatures and strong winds of the summer season cause a massive upsurge in forest fires, and as a result there is a demand for extra firefighters. In addition the effects of climate change are causing longer periods of high temperatures, which place extra demands on the firefighting services. Even during the cooler periods of autumn and spring, unseasonable temperatures can cause forest fires, as occurred in the middle of March, when a temporary no-fires period was declared in Crete from the 12th to the 18th of the month.