Greek Fire Service arrests three for negligence-related fires

The Hellenic Fire Service has apprehended three individuals across Greece for negligence-related arson. The arrests were made by the Arson Crimes Response Units of the Fire Service's Directorate for Arson Crimes Response (DAEE). In Trikala, a 32-year-old man was arrested for starting a fire in a pile of vegetation residue in the local community of Dialektos. He was subsequently fined 1,500 euros. In the Attica region, a 50-year-old man was detained in the municipality of Spata-Artemida for using a barbecue grill within 300 meters of a forest area, a violation of current legislation, especially given the high fire risk category at the time. He received an administrative fine of 3,000 euros. Additionally, in Preveza, a woman was arrested for burning dry grass in a courtyard in the village of Assos. She was fined 2,255.86 euros. According to DAEE data, from January 1 to August 5, 2026, a total of 670 administrative fines have been issued, amounting to 1,022,593.87 euros. Furthermore, 267 individuals have been arrested in summary proceedings, with 238 cases (89.14%) attributed to negligence and 29 cases (10.86%) to intentional acts.