Crew arrested after yacht fireworks allegedly spark forest fire in Greece
Thirteen people have been arrested after fireworks from a superyacht are thought to have sparked a forest fire in Greece.
Authorities allege that the forest fire, which broke out on the Greek island of Hydra, was sparked by fireworks launched from a superyacht anchored off the island.
Greek firefighters confirmed the fire broke out on a hillside pine forest. The blaze is understood to have destroyed part of the island’s only pine forest in the remote area of Bisti.
On a post on social media on 21 June as the fire ravaged the hillside, the Greek fire service reported that there was no road access to the site of the fire.
Fire forces approached the scene of the fire with a ‘harbour ship’ in order to try to extinguish it.
The island of Hydra is entirely car-free.
Local reports indicate helicopters helped douse the fire with water.
Located off the east coast of the Peloponnese, 90 minutes by boat from Piraeus, Hydra is one of several Greek islands that has battled wildfires in recent days following a severe heatwave last week, with temperatures rising above 44C (111F) in some locations.
Those arrested appeared in an Athens court on Sunday (23 June) but have not been identified.
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