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Haidari: 54-year-old arrested for botanical garden fire
🇬🇷 Greece /Crime & Justice

Haidari: 54-year-old arrested for botanical garden fire

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • A 54-year-old man was arrested for allegedly starting a fire in a botanical garden in Haidari, Greece.
  • The fire began during vegetation clearing work using a brush cutter on a day with a very high fire danger index.
  • Authorities have issued 738 fines and made 311 arrests for fires since the start of the year, with most attributed to negligence.

Authorities in Haidari, Greece, have arrested a 54-year-old man in connection with a fire that broke out in the local botanical garden. The blaze reportedly started around 11:50 a.m. while the suspect was engaged in vegetation clearing work using a brush cutter.

The incident occurred on a day when the fire danger index was at category 4, signifying a "very high" risk. The suspect, identified as a foreign national, was apprehended under a flagrante delicto procedure. A case file has been compiled against him for negligent arson in a forest area.

The Hellenic Fire Service highlighted that since January 1, 2026, a total of 738 administrative fines, amounting to over 1.2 million euros, have been imposed. Additionally, 311 arrests have been made, with 89% of these related to negligent fires and the remainder to intentional arson. The service emphasized that human negligence remains the primary cause of most fires and urged strict adherence to fire safety measures.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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