Μake us preferred on Google Greek authorities have arrested 33 people over wildfire-related offenses in just five days as investigators intensify efforts to determine the causes of fires that have swept across the country.
According to the Hellenic Fire Service and its Arson Crimes Directorate, the arrests were made between July 29 and Aug. 2, 2026, under Greece’s expedited legal procedure for offenses committed in the act.
Of the 33 arrests, 30 were linked to negligence and three to intentional acts. Authorities also imposed 22 administrative fines totaling €70,138.48.
Mayor Among Those Arrested
Investigations have identified responsibility at both the local government and operational levels.
On the island of Paros, four people were arrested in connection with a fire that broke out on July 28 at the island’s landfill and spread to low vegetation. Those arrested were the mayor, the deputy mayor responsible for sanitation, the contractor managing the waste facility, and a municipal garbage truck driver.
In the village of Krya Vrysi, in the regional unit of Rethymno on Crete, investigators determined that a major wildfire that erupted on July 29 originated from an electricity distribution line. The official responsible for the local electricity network of HEDNO (the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator) was arrested on suspicion of negligent arson.
Farm Work and Power Line Under Investigation
Among the most significant cases is the large wildfire that broke out on July 31 in Fichti, in the Argolis region of the Peloponnese.
Authorities arrested a farming couple who were carrying out agricultural work with a tractor equipped with a mulching attachment, which investigators say caused the fire and its rapid spread.
Other arrests involved hazardous work with power grinders or violations of fire prevention regulations on days classified as presenting an extreme wildfire risk.
Investigators also clarified that the major wildfire in Boeotia, which began near a wind farm, did not originate from the wind turbines. Instead, they said the ignition point was identified along an electricity transmission line about 500 yards away, at the same location where another fire had broken out in late June.
Repeat Offender Arrested in Kefalonia Fire
Authorities described the wildfire case on the island of Kefalonia as particularly serious.
The blaze, which broke out on the evening of Aug. 1 and remained active, had already burned more than 1,480 acres.
A Greek national was arrested on suspicion of intentionally starting the fire using an open flame. Investigators said the suspect was already known to authorities, having been involved in another wildfire case in 2014 and previously convicted and imprisoned for similar offenses.
Specialized investigation teams remain deployed at major wildfire sites, including Rethymno, Argolis and Boeotia, as authorities continue collecting scientific evidence to identify those responsible for the fires.
