Greek authorities on Saturday arrested 13 people after fireworks launched from a yacht set off a new wildfire on an island near Athens as the country confronts a new season of deadly summer fires.
The mayor of the island of Hydra expressed “outrage” after the fire was started late on Friday and vowed legal action against those responsible.
Dozens of wildfires in Greece this week have left at least one person dead.
Photo: Reuters
The latest blaze was “caused by fireworks launched from a boat and burned the only pine forest on the island in a place that is difficult to access and has no road,” the Hydra firefighting team wrote on Facebook.
Thirteen people accused of involvement in the fireworks have been arrested after a fire service inquiry and were yesterday to be presented before a prosecutor, a fire service statement said.
No details on the suspects were given.
Greece has toughened its penalties for arson, with perpetrators now facing up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to 200,000 euros (US$213,850).
On top of calling for legal action against “irresponsible” people behind the fireworks, Hydra Mayor Giorgos Koukoudakis told Hellenic Broadcasting Corp that authorities had to create more anti-fire zones and roads through forests.
Another fire on Saturday raged on the island of Andros, emergency services said.
Four villages were evacuated and planes and helicopters were brought in to water bomb the flames.
The civil protection service called for extreme vigilance because the risk of fires was “very high,” particularly in the Attica region, the Peloponnese peninsula and in central Greece.
Greece has been bracing for a difficult summer as authorities warn that strong winds and high temperatures have increased the danger.
After its warmest winter ever, the Mediterranean country recorded its first heatwave of the year last week, with temperatures rising above 44°C in some locations.
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