A 59-year-old man accused of setting a series of fires in Sindos, Thessaloniki, was ordered held in custody Friday after a prosecutor and investigating magistrate agreed on his pretrial detention.
The man appeared at the Thessaloniki courthouse on Aug. 14 to give his statement to an investigating magistrate. He faces charges of repeatedly and intentionally setting fires.
Video footage reportedly documenting his actions shows the man calmly getting out of his car, entering a rural area on Pontou Street, remaining there for only a few minutes and then returning to his vehicle and driving away as a fire breaks out behind him.
According to information from voria.gr, the man appeared remorseful during his statement and apologized, reportedly attributing his actions to pressure from his job.
He told authorities that he set the fires “to relieve the pressure from work.”
Six fires across the area
The 59-year-old started a total of six fires involving dry grass, reeds and agricultural land in the Sindos area.
One of the fires was reportedly started near railway tracks. Authorities say the fires were set across an area stretching from Sindos and Kalochori to Dendropotamos, although most were located within the municipality of Delta.
In one case, according to the same reports, authorities were forced to halt traffic on the Egnatia Odos highway because of smoke.
In another incident, a helicopter carried out an aerial water drop to help extinguish the fire.
