A 38-year-old Romanian was arrested on Tuesday in Greece, after being accused of causing a fire last Saturday in Rafina, in the eastern Attica region. However, he denies that he caused the fire and claims that he was in the area because he was trying to put it out, Ekathimerini reports. The same man was also arrested for arson in the same area, twice, last month, and managed to get away with a fine, according to the Athens-Macedonia press agency, which did not provide additional details.
This time, however, authorities added an endangerment charge and obtained his pretrial detention. Vegetation fires are common in Greece during the summer. But warmer, drier and windier weather, which scientists link to the effects of climate change, has increased their frequency and intensity.
Last weekend, dozens of fires broke out in Greece, including two near the capital, Athens. On Monday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece was facing a dangerous summer due to wildfires, which are being fueled by prolonged drought and unusually strong winds, writes Reuters.
“It is a summer that is expected to be particularly dangerous, the most difficult periods are still ahead of us. We had a very difficult month of June in terms of weather conditions, with high drought and unusually high wind gusts for this season,” said Mitsotakis, addressing his office.
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