More than 300 fires have been reported across Greece in the past 24 hours, putting authorities on alert. High temperatures above 40 degrees, strong wind, but also deliberate arson seem to be the combined factors that fueled the fires mainly in the area of Attica and the Aegean islands.
Only a day ago, authorities discovered a masked person who deliberately set fire to a forest area 5 kilometers south of the capital, Athens. The flames then spread rapidly.
It took the intervention of more than 100 firefighters from the ground and planes and helicopters from the air to bring the flames under control. Two villages were evacuated; the damages are estimated at several million euros, while the residents were involved in panic.
"I was very scared. As soon as we heard the news, together with the family we collected what we could. My sister and I left first, while my parents stayed behind to take care of the animals," says Eva Lesioti, a student.
Earlier, the civil defense informed the residents of Attica, Peloponnese, Evia, Kalkidiki and the Aegean islands, to be careful as these regions are in the 4th degree of danger for fires. The Ministry of Civil Emergencies published a plan of measures to prevent deliberate arson, which is classified as a criminal offense that carries several years of imprisonment and extremely heavy fines for anyone caught breaking the law.