Chios Greece: Severe fire alert continues in holiday hotspot - Georgian woman arrested of fuelling fire with cigarette
A popular Greek island has been battling several wildfires that have so far ripped through an estimated 40,000 hectares.
A Georgian woman has been arrested after being accused of accidentally igniting one of several wildfires that have raged relentlessly across the holiday island Chios. She will appear in court to face charges of unintentional arson.
Greek fire brigade officials said the woman, employed as a housekeeper on Chios, the ancestral home of some of Greece’s wealthiest shipping families, had “confessed” to triggering the blaze when she negligently discarded a cigarette. Witnesses also reported seeing the incident.
More than 400 firefighters, backed by water-dumping aircraft and hundreds of volunteers, have been battling blazes on Chios since Sunday, forcing authorities to call a state of emergency and dozens of villages to be evacuated. Blazes broke out in different areas of the island simultaneously.
There is still a severe fire alert in Greece today (Thursday 26 June). According to local news there is a forest fire in the area of Jigouna of the Municipality of Faistos. This is located in the Regional Unity of Heraklion, Crete. Emergency services in Greece say: “Remain prepared and follow the instructions of the authorities”.
Wildfires are frequent in Greece during the summer season. In 2018, a massive fire swept through the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens, trapping people in their homes and on roads as they tried to flee. More than 100 died, including some who drowned trying to swim away from the flames.