She recognized the facts. A woman of Georgian nationality, an employee as a cleaning lady on the island of Chios, in Greece, admitted to having threw a lit cigarette on the ground. This gesture would be the source of one of the multiple forest fires launched on June 22.
The woman whose identity has not been revealed, is “kept in detention for the night and will appear tomorrow in court,” said Lieutenant Constantine Kozanis in the Guardian. “Since it was taken in the act, the procedure will accelerate now that it appeared before the prosecutor. In her testimony to the investigating firefighters, she admitted to having threw a cigarette that ignited one of the five pediments, “he added.
Fires “have not yet turned off”
Since last Sunday, the fire has already destroyed 4000 hectares from the island of Chios, the largest 5th in Greece. The authorities declared the state of emergency, while 400 supported firefighters of 85 vehicles, four bombers of water and seven helicopters were mobilized and dozens of evacuated villages.
The fires are down. But “they are not yet fully controlled, deplores Lieutenant Constantine Kozanis. Admittedly, they are in recession, but they have not yet been turned off. The agricultural fields, including olive groves and mastic fields, are on the front line. Almost 20 % of the damage, or more than 840 hectares, concern them.
Greece is experiencing its first heat wave of summer, with temperatures exceeding 40 ° C, especially in Athens. Last year, some 45,000 hectares left for smoke.
The Greek government has strengthened the sanctions in the event of a voluntary fire or resulting from negligence. The penal code now provides sentences of up to 20 years in prison and 200,000 euros fine.
