Private Boat Fireworks Cause Wildfire on Greece’s Hydra
Passengers of a private boat caused a large wildfire on the picturesque beach of Agios Nikolaos (Saint Nicholas) on the Greek island of Hydra in the late hours of Friday.
The individuals who were near the beach of the beautiful Greek island at around 10:45 pm local time were seen by people on land throwing fireworks from their vessel. This seemingly innocent and fun activity, however, ended up igniting the surrounding forest area on a particularly difficult day for Greece’s Fire Service.
According to Fire Service authorities from the island, the fire began burning in a particularly difficult-to-access location of Hydra with no road infrastructure. Thus, access is limited.
Luckily, the epicenter of the incident was far from any urban settlements and villages. Firefighters approached the site using Coast Guard vessels in an attempt to combat the blaze from the sea. Many volunteer firefighters also joined the effort to contain the large flames and prevent them from spreading further inland. This could have had devastating consequences for the beautiful Greek island of Hydra.
Late on Saturday, the Greek Fire Service announced that a total of thirteen people had been arrested, accused of causing a wildfire in the forested area of Bisti on the island of Hydra. The individuals are expected to be brought before the Piraeus Criminal Prosecutor. The island of Hydra belongs administratively to Piraeus, a port city in the region of Attica to which Athens belongs.
Fireworks are popular in Greece
Fireworks are a popular sight during celebrations in Greece and, despite the limitations on who can use them and how they can be used, many locals and tourists easily get ahold of them. Unfortunately, their misuse can have devastating consequences.
Greek law divides fireworks into four categories. Categories 1-3 are freely sold for personal use, as they are deemed safe. Nonetheless, category 4 fireworks are restricted to professional displays with special permits and are only used by large corporations or local authorities, particularly during New Year’s celebrations and Easter.
Greece on high alert for wildfires
The Mediterranean region, including mainland Greece and the Greek islands, is particularly vulnerable to forest fires during the summer months from May to October.
A man who rushed to help firefighters tackle a wildfire in the western Peloponnese earlier on Friday died. The 55-year-old was reportedly keen to assist a firefighting effort near the village of Alpochori in the prefecture of Ilia (Elis) but may have choked on food on his way to help.
He was taken to a hospital in Pyrgos, according to local media, and was pronounced dead. It is expected that a post-mortem will be conducted to determine the precise cause of death.
An emergency 112 message was sent to villagers in nearby Myrtia at roughly 6:20 PM local time, calling on them to evacuate Pyrgos. Greece has been hit by 45 wildfires since Friday morning, June 21st, with the most dangerous blazes being in Argolis and Achaia.
PR Newswire
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