Greece Fire Investigation Points to Electrical Grid Faults

An investigation into a devastating fire that ravaged parts of Attica and Boeotia, Greece, is focusing on a short circuit within the electrical grid as the probable cause. A post-mortem report from the Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes, concerning the fire's origin point in Boeotia's "Mavro Spithari" area, has revealed significant technical shortcomings.

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The Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes, concerning the point where the fire broke out, in the "Mavro Spithari" area of Boeotia, records technical deficiencies, construction flaws, and poor workmanship in the electrical supply network of the wind farm, which is managed by a private individual.

According to the findings, experts investigating the fire's causes documented technical deficiencies, construction errors, and poor workmanship in the power grid of the privately operated wind farm. These issues are believed to have caused a short circuit and generated sparks, ultimately leading to the fire's outbreak. The Directorate's team arrived at the scene approximately eight and a half hours after the fire began.

Investigators found no remnants of incendiary devices, signs of human presence, or evidence of hot work. Materials that could cause spontaneous combustion, smoking residue, or indications of shooting at the private aerial power grid were also absent. The inspection revealed that the private electricity distribution network transitions from underground to an overhead line supported by wooden poles before reaching the wind farm's facilities.

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No remnants of incendiary devices, signs of human presence, or indications of hot work were found.

The report includes extensive photographic evidence. Experts precisely mapped the fire's starting point and documented a fallen wooden pole from the power line. Burnt network conductors were also found on the ground within the scorched area. The experts observed local deformations and thermal alterations on the metallic strands of the conductors, which they believe pre-dated the fire and were not caused by it. Furthermore, the report indicates prior issues with the network, including a fire on June 27, 2026, on the same distribution line about 150 meters from the main fire's origin. That incident was attributed to a short circuit caused by the contact of two live conductors, igniting dry vegetation.

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The specific findings are considered to have predated the fire and are not attributed to it.

A sworn statement from a mechanical engineer, taken on August 1, 2026, is also part of the investigation. The engineer reported that a thermographic inspection on June 20 identified elevated temperatures at two points connecting the underground and overhead network sections. One of these points was at the end of the aerial line section where the fires originated. The appointed electrical engineer concluded that the issues were systemic.

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The incident was attributed to a short circuit from the contact of two live conductors and the sparks that were ejected into dry vegetation.