Greek Police Detain Dozens in Connection with Arson as Unprecedented EU Wildfires Continue to Devastate
Massive wildfires, marking the largest on record within the European Union, are currently wreaking havoc across Greece, leading Greek authorities to make numerous arrests on charges linked to arson.
The flames on Mount Parnitha, situated north of Athens, the Greek capital, remain untamed as of Friday, with further forested areas succumbing to the inferno overnight.
In the northeastern region of Alexandroupolis, near the town of the same name, the most significant fire front persists, continuing to pose a severe threat.
Tragically, a deceased man was discovered along a rural road adjacent to Dadia National Park, close to the Turkish border, as reported by state media outlet AMNA on Friday.
Earlier this week, a grim discovery of 18 bodies occurred near a village in northern Greece, suspected by the fire brigade to be individuals who might have been migrants. Additionally, another fatality resulted from a fire northwest of Athens’ capital on Monday. Greek law enforcement has undertaken 79 arrests tied to arson, as stated by Pavlos Marinakis, the spokesperson for the Greek government, in an interview with the public broadcaster EPT on Friday.
Greek Climate Crisis Minister Vassilis Kikilias expressed, “The ongoing events are not only unacceptable but also reprehensible and criminal.”
He further conveyed a stern warning: “You are perpetrating a crime against the nation. You will not evade justice. We will identify you, and you will be held accountable under the law.”
With over 73,000 hectares of land ravaged, the wildfires in Alexandroupolis officially claim the unfortunate title of the largest blazes ever documented within the European Union, as confirmed by Janez Lenarčič, the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management.
In response, Lenarčič emphasized, “In anticipation of more brutal fire seasons, we must persist in fortifying national and collaborative preventive and readiness endeavors.”
As an EU record, the European Forest Fire Information System underscores that the fires across Greece have consumed a staggering 1.3 billion square meters (130,000 hectares) thus far.
On Friday, CNN bore witness to a constant procession of helicopters, each releasing up to 11 tons of water onto the conflagrations at a frequency of a couple of minutes.
Additionally, authorities informed CNN’s team stationed in Parnitha that helicopter operations were compelled to halt during the night, exacerbating firefighting efforts.