Latest news with #GeorgianWoman
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Greece wildfires: woman charged with unintentional arson after cigarette allegedly started blaze on Chios
A Georgian woman accused of accidentally igniting one of several wildfires that have raged relentlessly across the eastern Aegean isle of Chios will appear in court to face charges of unintentional arson. Greek fire brigade officials said the woman, employed as a housekeeper on Chios, the ancestral home of some of Greece's wealthiest shipping families, had 'confessed' to triggering the blaze when she negligently discarded a cigarette. Speaking from the island, Lt Constantine Kozanis told the Guardian the unidentified woman would be tried on Thursday. 'She is being held in detention overnight and will appear in court tomorrow,' he said. 'Because she was caught red-handed the process will move fast now that she has appeared before a public prosecutor. In her testimony to fire brigade investigators she admitted she had thrown a cigarette that had ignited one of [the five] fronts.' Witnesses also reported seeing the incident. More than 400 firefighters, backed by water-dumping aircraft and hundreds of volunteers, have been battling blazes on Chios since Sunday, forcing authorities to call a state of emergency and dozens of villages to be evacuated. Blazes broke out in different areas of the island simultaneously. As the fires spread, fuelled by gale force winds, officials raised the spectre of some of the conflagrations being started deliberately, saying it was otherwise hard to explain how they had erupted in such diverse areas at the same time. Giorgos Toumbos, president of the Chios Mastic Producers Union, told the Greek daily Kathimerini late on Tuesday that efforts were focused on putting out flames raging across a prime plateau to prevent the fires engulfing mastic villages – 14th-century fortified villages famous for their production of mastic resin – farther south. A reported 40,000 hectares have been reduced to ashes on the island. It is unclear how many tourists were visiting Chios when the conflagrations erupted on 22 June. Kozanis said the fires were receding but were by no means 'entirely under control'. 'They have yet to be fully contained,' he added. 'Yes, they are in recession but they have not been extinguished.' A Mediterranean hotspot, Greece is on the frontline of the climate emergency with the country experiencing a dramatic uptick in wildfires because of higher temperatures and ever-drier conditions in recent years. Faced with a dramatic increase in forest fires, Greece's centre-right government has toughened penalties for arson and ecological destruction with the criminal code foreseeing prison terms of up to 20 years and fines of up to €200,000 for such crimes. Greece is experiencing its first heatwave of the summer with temperatures expected to nudge 40C in the coming days.
The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
Greece arrests woman suspected of fuelling devastating wildfire with cigarette
Greece has arrested a Georgian woman suspected of discarding a cigarette that helped trigger one of several wildfires razing land and threatening homes on the island of Chios. Blazes broke out on Chios in the Aegean Sea on Sunday and tore through 10,000 acres of mainly bush and pasture land in three days, Greece's climate crisis and civil protection ministry said on Wednesday. The ongoing flames also caused significant disruption, including power outages, water shortages, and damage to property. The fire brigade said a woman was arrested on Tuesday night and that authorities were still investigating the cause of the fires. The Georgian was charged with unintentional arson, two fire brigade officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Witnesses saw her drop a cigarette, one of the officials said. Though the wildfires were largely contained by Wednesday, hundreds of firefighters remained on Chios to prevent rekindling and bring all fronts under control, the Greek fire brigade said. On Tuesday, residents of a seaside village in the south west of the island were ordered to leave as white smoke rose over a nearby beach. Greece's minister of climate crisis and civil protection, Yiannis Kefalogiannis, arrived on the island on Monday. He said: 'The situation on the island since yesterday has been quite difficult because we constantly have new fronts and resurgences and the climatic conditions are not favourable. 'We are faced with simultaneous fires in multiple, geographically unconnected parts of the island — a pattern that cannot be considered coincidental.' The minister said police forces on the island had been reinforced, while military patrols had been doubled. At Europe 's southernmost tip, Greece is often hit by wildfires during its hot and dry summers, but authorities say the fast-changing climate is fuelling more destructive blazes. The Greek government has paid hundreds of millions of euros in damages related to extreme weather to households and farmers, and to update firefighting equipment. It has upped firefighter numbers to a record 18,000 this year in anticipation of a challenging fire season. They will be assisted by 294 firefighters from five European countries from July 1 to September 15.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Greece arrests woman for fuelling fire with cigarette
Greece has arrested a Georgian woman suspected of discarding a cigarette that helped trigger one of several wildfires razing land and threatening homes on the island of Chios. Blazes broke out on Chios in the Aegean Sea on Sunday and tore through 40 square kilometres of mainly bush and pasture land in three days, Greece's climate crisis and civil protection ministry said on Wednesday. The fire brigade said the woman was arrested on Tuesday night and authorities were still investigating the cause of the fires. The Georgian was charged with unintentional arson, two fire brigade officials told Reuters on condition anonymity. Witnesses saw her drop a cigarette, one of the officials said. Though the wildfires were largely contained by Wednesday, hundreds of firefighters remained on Chios to prevent rekindling and bring all fronts under control, the Greek fire brigade said. At Europe's southernmost tip, Greece is often hit by wildfires during its hot and dry summers, but authorities say the fast-changing climate is fuelling more destructive blazes. The Greek government has paid hundreds of millions of euros in damages related to extreme weather to households and farmers and to update firefighting equipment. It has upped firefighter numbers to a record 18,000 in 2025 in anticipation of a challenging fire season. They will be assisted by 294 firefighters from five European countries from July 1 to September 15.
Reuters
13 hours ago
- Reuters
Greece holds Georgian suspected of fuelling Chios fire with cigarette
ATHENS, June 25 (Reuters) - Greece has arrested a Georgian woman suspected of discarding a cigarette that helped trigger one of several wildfires razing land and threatening homes on the island of Chios. Blazes broke out on Chios in the Aegean Sea on Sunday and tore through 10,000 acres of mainly bush and pasture land in three days, Greece's climate crisis and civil protection ministry said on Wednesday. The Georgian was charged with unintentional arson, two fire brigade officials told Reuters on condition anonymity. Witnesses saw her drop a cigarette, one of the officials said. There was no official confirmation of the arrest or identity of the suspect. Though the wildfires were largely contained by Wednesday, hundreds of firefighters remained on Chios to prevent rekindling and bring all fronts under control, the Greek fire brigade said. At Europe's southernmost tip, Greece is often hit by wildfires during its hot and dry summers, but authorities say the fast-changing climate is fuelling more destructive blazes. The Greek government has paid hundreds of millions of euros in damages related to extreme weather to households and farmers and to update firefighting equipment. It has upped firefighter numbers to a record 18,000 this year in anticipation of a challenging fire season. They will be assisted by 294 firefighters from five European countries from July 1 to Sept. 15.
