Euthymios Lekkas warns of flood risk after Greece's wildfires as authorities arrest fire‑causing hot‑work offenders
Euthymios Lekkas, president of the Greek Fire Service (OASP) and professor of natural‑disaster management, said the country is facing an evolving climate crisis that has produced more than 100 wildfires across Greece in recent weeks. He warned that the burned terrain is highly vulnerable: even a light rain can trigger severe floods and landslides within a month, especially in small catchment basins where water mixes with large volumes of eroded material. Lekkas stressed the need for carefully designed anti‑erosion works and dams to protect communities.
Police investigations into recent fires led to several arrests for illegal hot‑work activities. A 66‑year‑old Greek man was detained in Chalkidiki after using a metal‑cutting wheel that ignited a fire that burned about six stremmata of crops, and he was fined €1,687.50. A 49‑year‑old Polish citizen was caught in New Kifisia using a torch for roof insulation within 30 m of forested land on a day classified as fire‑danger level 4; he received a €3,000 fine. From 1 January to 3 August 2026, authorities imposed total administrative fines of €993,034.18 for fire‑related violations.
Entities: Athens Urban Transport Organisation (OASP) · Chalkidiki · Euthymios Lekkas · Greece · Greek Fire Service (OASP) · Greek climate crisis · Greek fire services · Kifisia · OASP (Greek Public Transport Authority)
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [DISPUTED] From 1 January to 3 August 2026, total administrative fines for fire‑related violations amounted to €993,034.18. (article b5118559-6010-4dd5-bf29-dc73d36c8b81)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Lekkas called for careful design of anti‑erosion works and dams to protect burned areas from flood damage. (multiple articles)
- [● 6 SOURCES] More than 100 wildfires have occurred across Greece in recent weeks. (multiple articles)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Lekkas warned that flood and landslide risk can appear after the first rain in burned areas. (multiple articles)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A 66‑year‑old Greek man was arrested in Chalkidiki for hot‑work that caused a fire burning about six stremmata, and was fined €1,687.50. (article b5118559-6010-4dd5-bf29-dc73d36c8b81)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Strong winds of up to 150 km/h have made aerial firefighting difficult during the recent wildfires. (article 1ccc6dce-ae6f-4ab2-a9fc-541cc7952e21)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A 49‑year‑old Polish citizen was arrested in New Kifisia for using a torch near forest on a fire‑danger level 4 day and fined €3,000. (article b5118559-6010-4dd5-bf29-dc73d36c8b81)