Four people have been arrested and fined in Greece following investigations into activities that posed a very high risk of causing wildfires, the country’s Fire Service said.
The arrests were carried out by the Fire Service’s Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes and its local investigative units in Attica, Zakynthos and Lesbos.
Two arrested after Zakynthos fire
In Marathias, on the island of Zakynthos, two men were arrested at 8:52 a.m. on Tuesday under the procedure for offenses caught in the act.
The suspects were a 50-year-old Greek national and a 40-year-old foreign national, who were arrested by Zakynthos Fire Service investigators on suspicion of negligently causing a fire.
According to the Fire Service, the blaze was caused by an all-terrain/recreational vehicle that was carrying tourists to sightseeing locations.
€3,000 fine for lighting a charcoal grill
In Stamata, in the Attica region, a 33-year-old Greek man was arrested at around 8:30 p.m. Monday after lighting a portable charcoal grill in the yard of a single-family home.
The property was located in an area where residential and forest vegetation zones meet, while the fire danger level that day was Category 4, classified as very high.
The man was also issued an administrative fine of €3,000.
Welding work during high fire danger
On Tuesday, Aug. 11, at around noon, a 63-year-old Greek man was arrested in Lesbos while carrying out hot work using welding equipment.
He was spotted during a patrol aimed at preventing agricultural and forest fires in the Perama Geras area of the Municipality of Mytilene. The fire danger level was again Category 4.
He was fined €3,000. Following an oral order from the prosecutor on duty in Mytilene, he was held and was due to appear before the prosecutor the following day.
Hundreds of fines and arrests this year
From Jan. 1 through Aug. 11, 2026, authorities have issued 692 administrative fines totaling €1,071,205.24, according to the Fire Service.
During the same period, 281 people have been arrested under the procedure for offenses caught in the act. Of those arrests, 252, or 89.68%, involved negligence, while 29, or 10.32%, involved intentional acts.
The Fire Service said its Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes and local investigative units remain fully deployed and on heightened operational readiness because conditions are particularly favorable for fires to start and spread, with strong winds and high temperatures.
The units are prepared to investigate every reported fire outbreak immediately and determine responsibility when violations are established.
