11 arrested across Greece for fire violations as agricultural work sparks large wildfire in Argolida

The Argolida wildfire

On Friday morning, a large agroforestry fire broke out in Fichti, in the municipality of Argos-Mykines, at 09:51. According to the Fire Service's preliminary investigation, a 57-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman were carrying out agricultural work with a tractor equipped with a shredder when sparks ignited the surrounding vegetation. Both were arrested under the flagrante delicto procedure by officers from the Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes (D.A.E.E.), who were dispatched to reinforce the local inquiry. The fire was described as a major incident, though no immediate figures on the area burned were released.

A wave of violations amid extreme risk

Beyond Argolida, nine more people were arrested in separate incidents over the same two-day period. In Katakolo, Ilia, a 34-year-old woman set off a flare on the beach near shrubland at 19:52 on Friday, while the area was under a category-4 fire risk alert. She was fined €3,000. In Serres, a foreign national was caught burning the plastic casing of electrical cables to extract metal near an illegal dump in Draviskos at 11:11 on Saturday; the fire he caused led to a €1,125 fine. In Attica, two Albanian nationals, aged 59 and 49, were using an angle grinder close to a forested area in Kifissia at 09:38 on Saturday, during a category-5 (extreme risk) alert. They were fined €3,750. Similarly, two men aged 52 and 41 were arrested in Spata for the same violation, also fined €3,750. In Nea Erythraia, a 74-year-old and a foreign national were cutting metal and welding outdoors near forest vegetation; they were fined €3,000. On Lesvos, an 18-year-old performing hot work with an angle grinder in Mystegna negligently started a fire that burned 50 square metres of dry grass; he faces a €3,750 fine.

Enforcement and year-to-date figures

The Fire Service released cumulative data showing that from 1 January to 1 August 2026, a total of 254 people had been arrested for fire-related offences. Of these, 226 (88.98%) involved negligence, while 28 were for intentional arson. The total fines imposed over the same period approached €1 million, underscoring the scale of violations despite repeated warnings and high-risk alerts.

Legal framework and ongoing checks

All arrests were made under the flagrante delicto procedure, which allows immediate detention for fire-related violations. The legislation imposes administrative fines alongside criminal proceedings. The D.A.E.E. stressed that checks and investigations are continuing intensively across the country.