A faulty power line likely caused Greece's largest wildfire this year
16 August 2024 07:33
Investigators are examining the circumstances of the most severe fire in Greece this year, which covered an area comparable to the size of Paris. According to preliminary findings, the cause could have been a faulty power line, Reuters reported on Thursday.
The fire broke out on Sunday afternoon in the vicinity of Varnavas, about 35 kilometres north of Athens, and quickly moved towards the city.
The fire reached the suburbs of the capital, where one person died.
On Tuesday, authorities reported the situation was contained. They emphasised that the wind had calmed, the fire no longer had a single front, and firefighters were tackling scattered hotspots.
Reinforcements from several EU countries and Turkey came to assist the Greek services.
An area comparable to Paris was burned
The fire covered 10,000 hectares of territory. Nearly 80 homes destroyed by the fire are no longer habitable.
As part of the investigation, residents of Varnavas gave testimonies. One of them said that the cause of the fire could have been a wooden power pole located in front of his house, to which a loosely hanging wire was attached—authorities reported. A fire department representative said that the fire started near this pole.
This is currently the investigators' main theory. They are also investigating the possibility of arson. The Greek power grid operator assured that it had found no evidence of a malfunction.
On Thursday, the fire department reported that 30 forest and shrub fires had broken out in Greece over the past 24 hours. Authorities warned on Friday of a very high fire risk in several regions.
