Greek authorities arrest dozens on arson-related charges

Greek authorities arrested dozens of people on arson-related charges as deadly wildfires rage across the country, CNN reported.

The fires as the largest ever recorded in the European Union.

Wildfires in Mount Parnitha, north of the Greek capital Athens, were still out of control on Friday.

The biggest fire front line in Greece remained near the northeastern town of Alexandroupolis, in the Evros region.

State media AMNA reported on Friday that the burned body of a man was found on a rural road near Dadia National Park, near the border with Turkey.

Earlier this week, 18 people were found dead near a village in northern Greece. The fire brigade said they may have been migrants. Another person was killed in a fire northwest of the capital Athens on Monday.

Greek government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis told public broadcaster EPT on Friday that the Greek police made 79 arson-related arrests.

“What is happening is not just impermissible, but obscene and criminal,” Greek Climate Crisis Minister Vassilis Kikilias said in a statement, as per CNN.

“You are committing a crime against the country. You will not be spared. We will find you and you will be held accountable in Justice,” Kikilas added.

The fires in Alexandroupolis are officially the largest wildfires ever recorded in the European Union, with more than 73,000 hectares burned, according to EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič.

Wildfires have intensified around the globe, providing a stark reminder of how the climate crisis is upending lives and inflicting billions of dollars a year in damage.

While wildfires are often ignited by lightning strikes or human activity, they are becoming more frequent because of human-caused climate change. Scientists found, for instance, that climate change made the extreme weather conditions that fueled the 2019-2020 destructive fire seasons in Australia 30 per cent more likely to occur, as per CNN.