Greek court jails 4 officials over botched evacuation during deadly wildfire near Athens
Four former senior fire service and civil protection officials were jailed in Greece Wednesday after being found guilty for failing to mount a proper evacuation in a wildfire that killed more than 100 people outside Athens in 2018. A former fire chief, his deputy, and head of a disaster coordination center were each sentenced to serve five years in prison for causing loss of life though negligence, along with a former director of the government's civil protection agency. The July 23, 2018, fire swept through the seaside area of Mati, east of Athens, forcing residents into a chaotic attempt to escape — either by car through a dense forest or fleeing into the sea. The court in Athens ruled that the officials had failed to organize an orderly evacuation. The defendants were initially found guilty in a trial that concluded last year and not jailed, but a senior prosecutor challenged the verdict, leading to a retrial. Greece is battling an increasing number of serious wildfires annually, which are blamed by authorities on the effects of climate change.
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