One of Greece’s most anticipated court decisions is expected on June 3, as the Three-Member Court of Appeal for Misdemeanors delivers its verdict in the trial over the deadly Mati wildfire of July 2018.
The fire, which swept through the seaside town of Mati, northeast of Athens, claimed 104 lives, injured hundreds, and destroyed homes and livelihoods. Driven by gale-force winds and extreme heat, it became one of the deadliest wildfires in European history, shocking the nation and exposing major gaps in disaster preparedness and response.
The court has been tasked with determining accountability for the tragedy. Twenty-one individuals were brought to trial, including senior officials from the Fire Department, Civil Protection, local government, and the Attica Region, as well as a private citizen accused of starting the fire. Charges range from manslaughter by negligence to bodily harm and official misconduct.
Over the course of the proceedings, judges have reviewed tens of thousands of pages of evidence, including scientific reports, maps, emergency transcripts, and witness testimonies. A crucial part of the trial has focused on whether critical decisions—or the lack thereof—led to unnecessary loss of life, especially concerning evacuation delays and coordination failures.
In March, the Prosecutor of the Court of Appeal recommended that 12 of the 21 defendants be found guilty. These include the then head of the Fire Department, the regional governor of Attica at the time, the general secretary of Civil Protection, the mayor of Rafina-Pikermi, and the individual in whose yard the fire allegedly began.
The prosecutor emphasized in her argument that a series of misjudgments and inadequate actions “proved fatal”, particularly in the failure to organize timely evacuations. The court’s ruling on June 3 is expected to have far-reaching implications for public accountability and emergency response policy in Greece.
