Fire in Greece: Greek authorities suspect arson, heavy rains in Athens

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D Devastating fires in the Athens area could, in the words of a Greek government politician, be the work of incendiaries. "There are indications that lead us to these thoughts," said Deputy Minister of Civil Defense Nikos Toskas on Thursday evening. According to satellite images, several fires broke out along a route to the west of Athens in a very short time.

In East Athens, where more than 83 people died, the fire spread rapidly due to extremely strong winds. "There are not only indications, but also signs of arson," Toskas said. He did not want to give details. He did not want to interfere with the investigation. The arrests of suspects did not exist so far, the deputy minister for the protection of the citizens communicated again.

The errors of the fire brigade and the police do not exclude the Minister. "Ten-eleven strong waves were blowing in. We had never had anything like it," Toskas said. He offered his resignation to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. Tsipras told him that it was "the hour of the fight" and that he did not accept his resignation.

Fires broke out Monday mainly in the popular coastal towns around Athens. A fire in the coastal town of Kineta in the west of Athens, firefighters Thursday had largely contained. Elsewhere, the firefighters' fight continued against the fires, which killed as many people as any other fire in Europe in the 21st century.

There were no official figures on missing persons. Among other things, nine-year-old twins and their grandparents went missing on the residents' website. A total of 187 people were hospitalized

Only 30 identified bodies

According to a report from the TV station ERT only about 30 bodies were identified. Family members of missing persons were able to submit DNA samples to speed up the process, ANA news agency reported, citing authorities. The identification of bodies, including children, should be completed by Saturday.

On Thursday, light rain in the affected area caused some cooling. In the capital Athens, however, after torrential rains, floods and dozens of cars were damaged.

The government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras provided the victims of fires with 40 million euros in a first aid fund. The relatives closest to the victims have already received 10,000 euros from the government

Why was there so much damage?

Athens now wants to provide 5,000 euros more per affected parcel. Nearly half of the 2500 households affected are therefore uninhabitable as a result of the fires. In Mati's seaside resort, government officials went door-to-door Thursday, marking the properties of different colors according to the severity of the damage.

A survivor in Sender Star, with tears in her eyes, told how she lost a disabled friend. Sea drowned. "I thought the sirens had to warn us that someone had to warn us," she said.

Among the dead of the fires are several tourists. According to the authorities, a young Irishman was killed in the flames on his honeymoon. According to the British media, he died in his car at Mati. Although his wife escaped the flames, he was admitted to the hospital with burns.

It was still unclear how forest fires could do so much damage. The newspaper "Kathimerini" reported a seemingly chaotic meeting of authorities and fire departments to prevent such fires. "Instead of organizing firefighting, communities, prefectures, firefighters and foresters quarrel," writes the newspaper in April

Meanwhile, donations for Greek fire victims are getting worse. multiply: GoFundMe until Thursday afternoon, nearly 150,000 euros together, as announced by the operator.