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2 clusters · 10 sources · 17 days · First seen · Last updated

Wildfires in Greece and Crete

Overview

Wildfires in Greece, particularly on the island of Crete, have caused significant destruction and casualties. In late July, fires in the Rethymno region of Crete and near Gytheio on the Peloponnese resulted in the deaths of three firefighters. The blaze in southern Rethymno scorched approximately 4,500 hectares of forest and farmland, destroying homes and olive groves. High winds of up to 150 km/h hindered firefighting efforts, and roughly 8,000 people were evacuated. An investigation into that specific blaze led to the arrest of a power network operations manager on arson-negligence charges after power lines were found to have sparked the fire.

By mid-August, another significant wildfire occurred in the Sellia area of Rethymno. This fire, which damaged olive groves and property, was brought under control without casualties following evacuations in Fotinari and Souda. Authorities arrested a 35-year-old Israeli tourist after a barbecue reportedly triggered the blaze despite high-risk warnings.

Entities

Greek Fire Service · Crete · Rethymno · Rethymno region · France

Timeline

  1. 27 days ago

    [INTERNATIONAL] 10 sources
    Crete wildfire: Israeli tourist arrested after barbecue sparks blaze

    An Israeli tourist was arrested in Crete after a barbecue at a rented villa sparked a major wildfire in Rethymno, causing evacuations and damage to olive groves despite high-risk warnings.

  2. about 1 month ago

    [INTERNATIONAL] 325 sources
    Crete Wildfire Kills Three Firefighters, Forces Evacuation of 8,000

    Three firefighters died as a Crete wildfire burned ~4,500 ha, forced 8,000 evacuations, and spread to Athens suburbs; strong winds hampered fighting and an arson suspect was arrested.

Sources

adevarul.ro · cancan.ro · canigattiracing.com · fonimaleviziou.gr · haniotika-nea.gr · lawandorder.gr · news.yam.md · newsbomb.gr · press-gr.blogspot.gr · tromaktiko.gr