Greek Government To Impose Tougher Fine For Arson Following Major Wildfires That Damages The Country

The massive wildfire that caused damage in Greece prompted its government to impose tougher punishment for arson.

(Photo : Pexels/Alex Azabache)

According to the Associated Press, the proposed measure aims to dissuade potential criminals and bring those responsible for damaging fires to justice.

Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said that the details of these new measures would be published within the next month.

He stressed that sanctions for intentional or irresponsible fire-causing conduct will be greatly increased, reaching ten times the current level.

Such penalties would be comparable to the animal abuse laws enacted two years ago, which carry substantial fines of up to $55,000 and a potential prison sentence of ten years.

"I am obliged to say that the next fire season will find us in a different position, It's not just the penalties - the fines will increase tenfold - but we need a ... change in mentality," Kikilias said in an interview with state television late Monday.

Wildfire due to negligence or arson

The Greek authorities claimed that the majority of the 667 fires that have erupted across Greece in recent weeks were ignited "by human hand."

Kikilias stated that in some areas, fires broke out at multiple spots in close proximity at the same moment, implying the involvement of arsonists looking to spread fires further.

"The difference with other years were the weather conditions. Climate change, which yielded a historic and unprecedented heatwave, is here," he added, as quoted by The Guardian.

Meteorologists have never recorded such high temperatures in Greece for such an extended period of time.

With the exception of islands in the Aegean and Ionian seas, temperatures reached 15-year highs.

Last month, fire spokeswoman Ioannis Artopoios said the police had detained "a foreigner who allegedly caused the fire" in Kouvaras.

There was no additional information about the man accessible at the time.

Three people were killed in the wildfire, and several others were injured.

The Greek armed forces declared three days of mourning after two air force pilots were killed while attempting to extinguish flames in their water-bombing plane before it crashed over the island of Evia, Nature World News reported.

Educational awareness regarding wildfire

Apart from stricter penalties, the government is also pushing for fire prevention and awareness.

Kikilias stressed the need to shift the mindset of the people, adding that the forthcoming fire season must reshape the country in order to properly limit the risk of wildfires, the Greek City Times reported.

The government would conduct educational initiatives in schools, and locally-based efforts would be vital in fostering responsible behavior and fire consciousness among citizens.

In three consecutive heat waves, Greece battled ten large wildfires last month, including blazes outside Athens and on the island of Rhodes.

According to the European Forest Fire Information System, a European Union organization that analyzes wildfire damage using satellite data, more than 500 square kilometers (almost 200 square miles) of land have been burned so far this year, more than double the yearly total in 2022.