Firefighters try to put out a fire in Afidnes, some 30 kilometers away from the Greek capital of Athens, on Aug. 6, 2021. Greek authorities said on Friday that three people have been arrested for suspected arson, as devastating wildfires continue to scorch thousands of hectares of forest land across the country. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)
ATHENS, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Greek authorities said on Friday that three people have been arrested for suspected arson, as devastating wildfires continue to scorch thousands of hectares of forest land across the country.
The Fire Brigade has activated teams of arson investigators and so far three people have been arrested over the fires in Fokida Prefecture of central Greece, Attica region and Kalamata city in Peloponnese, Greek Deputy Minister for Civil Protection and Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias said in an emergency briefing on Friday evening.
"A total of 98 new fire outbreaks were recorded in the last 24 hours. Firemen were trying to extinguish 154 fires on Friday, 64 of them are still active," he said.
In the northern suburbs of Athens, firefighters raced to contain the fire fronts claiming forests and houses, heading to Lake Marathon, as authorities carried out massive evacuations.
Major national highways have shut down and train services suspended, while power and water outages were reported. Earlier, a man died after a head injury from a falling electricity pole in an area north of Athens affected by the fire.
On Evia island, the ongoing blaze which has split in many fronts and spread across a large area in the northern part, led the authorities to evacuate residents and tourists by sea as there was no other way of escape.
A coast guard vessel rescued 10 people trapped on a beach by another fire in the southern Peloponnese region.
More than 1,000 firefighters and nearly 20 aircrafts were battling major fires across the country, while extra aid with firefighters, planes, helicopters and vehicles were arriving from France, Switzerland, Romania, Cyprus, Croatia, Israel and Sweden.
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, who visited the Fire Service operation center, highlighted the need for unity and calm, stressing that "country comes first." Enditem
