Athens [Greece], August 25: Greece's civil protection minister lashed out at what he called the "antisocial arsonists" starting wildfires, saying their actions were "obscene and criminal" and vowing to prosecute them to the full extent of the law.
"What is happening is not only outrageous, but obscene and criminal," Vassilis Kikilias said during an emergency meeting at the Civil Defence headquarters on Thursday.
"You are committing a crime against the country. You will not be spared, we will find you, you will be brought to justice," he said.
Kikilias was referring to the fires at the foot of Mount Parnitha north-west of Athens. There, he said, a total of nine arson attacks were carried out at various locations from 8 am (0500 GMT) to noon on Thursday.
The minister even listed the new sources of fire and the attempted arsons with exact times.
The perpetrators endangered forests, property and above all human lives, he said. The police and the secret service are doing everything to arrest the perpetrators.
The fire brigade assumes that arson is behind most of the fires, but apprehending perpetrators is difficult and rarely succeeds. Most fires are set in lonely, impassable areas. By the time the fires pick up speed, the perpetrators are long gone.
Fires were able to spread rapidly due to windy conditions, but on Thursday morning local officials and firefighters were somewhat optimistic as winds died down, they told Greek radio ERT.
Source: Qatar Tribune