13 people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the shooting of fireworks on the island of Hydra.
Fireworks fired from a yacht are believed to have ignited a wildfire that raged on the island of Hydra in Greece over the weekend. The police announced on Saturday that they had arrested 13 people who are suspected of having participated in the shooting of fireworks from a rented vessel.
The rescue service said on Facebook that the fire burned the island’s only pine forest in a difficult-to-reach place where there is no road.
– I am furious that some people light fires in such an irresponsible way, the mayor of Hydra resented Giorgos Koukoudakis in an interview with the TV channel ERT.
The threat of wildfires has been warned to be particularly high this summer, because the terrain is dry and the winds are strong. Temperatures of up to 44 degrees have been measured in Greece last week.
Greece has recently increased the penalties for arson, which can result in a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of 200,000 euros.