Athens - Thirteen individuals have been arrested following a forest fire on Greece's Hydra island, believed to have been triggered by fireworks launched from a yacht.
The blaze, which occurred on Friday, ravaged through the island's sole pine forest, a popular tourist destination south of Athens, as confirmed by authorities on Facebook. While the fire has since been brought under control, firefighters faced challenges accessing the beachfront site due to the absence of road access, necessitating sea-based operations and aerial water drops from helicopters.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Greek fire service disclosed that all 13 detainees are Greek citizens and are scheduled to appear before prosecutors on Sunday. Notably, the statement did not explicitly mention the involvement of the yacht in sparking the fire.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage in Greece, aggravated by the country's ongoing battle with multiple wildfires amidst its first heatwave of the year. "We are appalled that individuals would recklessly ignite fireworks in a pine forest," remarked Hydra's mayor, Giorgos Koukoudakis, in an interview with Greek broadcaster ERT.
Social media platforms have also witnessed condemnation, with one user criticizing the perpetrators as "rich people with more money than brains."
Greece has been on heightened alert for wildfires since Tuesday, anticipating a challenging summer ahead due to dry conditions, strong winds, and soaring temperatures that are conducive to fire outbreaks.
Tragically, on the same Friday, a 55-year-old volunteer firefighter succumbed to injuries sustained while battling another fire in the southern region of Ilia on the Peloponnese peninsula.
Wildfires are a recurrent phenomenon in Greece, exacerbated by climate change which scientists link to increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events like heatwaves. Moreover, Greece grapples with a persistent issue of arson, exemplified by the arrest of 79 individuals last August in connection with deadly wildfires.
Earlier this year, Greece enforced stricter legislation targeting arsonists, imposing penalties of up to 20 years in prison and fines as high as €200,000 (£169,000; $213,850).