(Adnkronos) – At least 40 thousand hectares of land have been devastated and reduced to ashes by a series of fires that have been raging since Sunday on the Greek island of Chios, in the eastern Aegean, and involve over 400 firefighters, supported by firefighting aircraft and hundreds of volunteers. Dozens of villages were evacuated after authorities declared a state of emergency.
A Georgian woman has been charged with one of these fires and will appear in court today to answer charges of arson. Lieutenant Constantine Kozanis explained that the woman “was held in custody overnight and will appear in court” today. Greek firefighters said the woman, employed as a maid in Chios, “confessed” to starting the fire after throwing a cigarette.
Kozanis added that the fires “are not under control at all” after flaring up simultaneously in several areas of the island, fueled by impetuous winds.
