A man was detained as suspect for the big fire on the island of Thassos and quickly his detention turned into his arrest. There is strong evidence that the man is responsible not only for one but for two forest fires in the same area within a week.
The 65-year-old pensioner was reportedly consider as suspect from the very first moment when the fire broke out over Skala Potamias on August 10, but also for the fire in the same area on August 2.
Police officers checked the man’s vehicle early Tuesday morning and found firecrackers and flammable material, state broadcaster ERT reported.
Firefighters and volunteers deployed from other areas on northern Greek mainland have been struggling for days to extinguish the forest fire on Thassos that reportedly burned down around 4,000 acres of pine forest.
The fire was largely contained on Friday (August 12) but it rekindled at night.
The blaze has been reportedly under complete control since Monday morning (August 15), however, the Fire Service is still on alert for any possible rekindling even after the rainstorm that hit the island a day earlier.
The arrested 65-year-old man will be taken to the public prosecutor in Kavala at noon.
According to latest ERT information, the man is a resident of Potamia and was in conflict with a local breeder.
He has no permit for the possession of the flammable material.
Local witnesses said that his name was linked to the first blaze on August 2, but nothing had happened then.
So far, the arrested has not confessed to the arson.
