Greece Wildfires: Arrests Made After Yacht Fireworks Incident

Wildfires in Greece

• 13 people arrested on Saturday after fireworks launched from a yacht set off a forest fire on the island of Hydra near Athens.
• The fire was started late on Friday and burned the only pine forest on the island in a difficult-to-access area with no road.
• The mayor of Hydra expressed "outrage" and vowed legal action against those responsible.

Penalties for Arson

• Greece has toughened its penalties for arson, with perpetrators now facing up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to 200,000 euros (£169,000).

Other Fires in Greece

• Another fire raged on Saturday on the island of Andros, with four villages evacuated and planes and helicopters used to water-bomb the flames.
• At least one person has died in the wildfires this week, a 55-year-old man who collapsed and died while fighting flames around his village.

Fire Risk and Climate Change

• The civil protection service has called for extreme vigilance due to the "very high" risk of fires, particularly in the Attica region, the Peloponnese peninsula, and in central Greece.
• Greece has been bracing for a difficult summer as authorities warn that strong winds and high temperatures have increased the danger.
• The Mediterranean country recorded its first heatwave of the year last week, with temperatures rising above 44C (111F) in some locations.
• Scientists warn that fossil fuel emissions caused by humans are worsening the length and intensity of heatwaves around the world.
• Rising temperatures are leading to extended wildfire seasons and increasing the area burned by the blazes, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.