Greece wildfires: Hundreds of blazes caused by arson, climate minister says
Hundreds of fires that have broken out over the last fortnight in Greece were caused by arson, the country's climate minister has said.
More than 600 fires have ravaged Greece, with more than 60 breaking out per day.
Vassilis Kikilias, Greece's Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, told a news conference that a total of 667 fires took place.
"The majority of them were arsons, either due to criminal negligence or intent," he said, adding: "The difference with other years was the weather conditions."
Tourists are starting to trickle back to the Greek island of Rhodes and some people are spending their holiday on empty beaches amongst charred trees and burnt land.
The fires, spurred by a sweltering heat wave that blanketed the country, triggered a huge evacuation of residents and tourists on the island last weekend as forests burned for a week.
Mr Kikilias said: "The climate crisis that produced a historically unprecedented heat wave is here.
"In the last ten years, we have had a few days of extreme heat conditions combined with strong winds. Not since 2003 have we had a map with very high-risk categories for five days in many regions.
"The Fire Department brought the majority of all these areas under control. However, ten fires took on large proportions and tested the limits and endurance of everyone and above all of the residents."
At the same time, Vassilis Kikilias stated that 400,000 acres have been burned so far, while the annual average for Greece is 500,000.
He added: "Far from us, the opinion that everything has been done correctly. We did the best we could under the circumstances. The degree of operational difficulty proved to be too great. We are not cowering; we are seeing reality head-on".
The wildfires have raged across parts of the country during three successive Mediterranean heat waves over two weeks, leaving five people dead, including two firefighter pilots.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...