August 6, 2023
environment, FEATURED
0 Views
Αn 88-year-old man was arrested on Sunday morning for starting a wildfire in Agios Stefanos in northern Athens the previous night.
A 39-year-old passersby saw the old man starting the fire in dry grass and hastily entering his house which was next door. The passerby extinguished the fire and called the police. The incident took place at 10:45 p.m. Saturday, August 5.
Police rushed to the spot, located the arsonists in his home and brought him to local Police Station, where he was identified by the complaining citizen as the arsonist and the old man was arrested.
At the place where the fire broke out, a nylon bag containing a can of oil and cloth pieces was found and confiscated.
The old man reportedly told police that he wanted “to clear the area of the dry grass.”
He has been charged with a misdemeanor and remains in custody until he is brought to prosecutor and the Three-member-Misdemeanor Court of Athens on Monday.
The man’s arrest was revealed by Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias in an interview to Open TV on Sunday morning.
He stressed that most fires were the result of human actions and advised both individuals and services, including local authorities, to show particular care.
“From tomorrow, Monday, we will have a lot of wind, the well-known ‘meltemia’ [summer northern winds] that according to the National Meteorological Service will reach seven, eight or even nine Beaufort in many parts of Greece,” the minister warned.