Yacht Crew Arrested for Starting Wildfire in Greece; Stricter Laws Needed to Prevent Arson

In the heart of Greece, a luxury yacht’s deck lighting illuminates the sea as it sails off the coast. However, behind the yacht, a blazing fire rages from the forest of Hydra Island, apparently started by fireworks meant to entertain the ship’s passengers. This has led to the arrest of 13 members of the crew.

In just 24 hours, Greece experienced 64 forest and bush fires. The country had been hit with extreme heatwave conditions earlier in the year, with strong winds and dry weather creating ideal conditions for fires to start. The incident on Hydra has caused outrage among locals and authorities alike, as crew members of the yacht are said to have disregarded warnings not to handle fire and lit fireworks in the island’s pine forest.

The crew members responsible for the fire attempted to put it out themselves before alerting emergency services and fleeing the scene. Rescue efforts were challenging due to difficult access to the area, forcing responders to extinguish the fire from both sea and air. Despite these efforts, however, 13 Greek citizens – all members of the crew – were arrested when their yacht docked in Athens. The vessel was detained and searched, revealing 17 tourists from Kazakhstan on board. The crew members will face legal consequences for their actions in starting this devastating wildfire on Hydra Island.

This incident has reignited concerns about arson in Greece, prompting stricter laws earlier this year aimed at addressing this growing problem. But despite these measures, forest fires continue to pose a high risk in Greece: last summer saw extensive destruction of forest and agricultural land due to wildfires that scientists attribute largely to man-made global warming trends. Efforts are ongoing across various regions of Greece to control these situations and prevent further devastation from wildfires in this beautiful country.