A Georgian woman has been accused of starting one of the forest fires that are raging relentlessly on the Greek island of Chios. The woman will appear in court today, June 26, where she will be charged with involuntary arson, The Guardian reports, quoted by BTA.
According to the Greek fire service, the accused, who works as a domestic help on the island - the birthplace of some of Greece's richest shipowners - has admitted to starting the fire after accidentally throwing away an unextinguished cigarette.
“Since she was detained, the trial will proceed quickly once she appears before the prosecutor“, Lieutenant Konstantinos Kozanis told the British media. “In her testimony to investigators, she admitted that the cigarette she threw ignited one of the five active fronts.“
The fires on Chios have been raging since Sunday and have engulfed large parts of the island. More than 400 firefighters, supported by aircraft and hundreds of volunteers, are battling the flames. Authorities declared a state of emergency, and dozens of villages were evacuated as a precaution.