A man suspected of starting an ongoing forest fire about 50 miles east of Athens, Greece, has been arrested by police, a fire department spokesman said Monday.
“Police have arrested a foreigner who is believed to be the cause of the Kouvaras fire,” said fire service spokesman Yannis Artopios.
However, he did not give the person’s nationality as several forest fires east and west of Athens were still raging, fanned by strong winds.
1,200 children evacuated from the summer camp
As a precautionary measure, these fires caused the evacuation of several coastal areas. In particular, 1,200 children were evacuated from a fire-threatened holiday camp near the resort of Loutraki, 80 km from the capital.
Seven water pumps, four helicopters and 150 firefighters continue to fight the two fronts of this fire, according to local media.
As part of Europe, Greece was hit this weekend by its first heat wave of the year with a peak of 44.2°C in the central Thebes region, according to the Athens National Observatory.
Source: BFM TV
