Two employees of the Greek Power Distribution Network Operator (DEDDIE) were detained on Saturday on suspicion of negligence in network maintenance and cause the wildfire of Keratea, south-eastern Attica, a day earlier. The employees were detained when they went to the area to check the power poles, while a director of the local DEDDIE branch was still sought by authorities.
The detention followed investigation by the Department’s Arson Crimes Division hinting that the fire began when sparks from a severed medium-voltage cable set on fire dry grass at the base of an electricity pole.
Already on Friday night, authorities had secured the site and seized the cable as evidence on Saturday morning.
Pictures via protothema.gr 
Sources from the DEDDHE told media, however, that the arrest of the two technicians is “unfair and illegal”, adding that the employees in question “went to do their duty and perform social work.”
According to the same sources, “there is no report from the fire department, nor evidence that the fire started from the electricity pole.”
Already late on Friday, TV channels reporting live from the fire areas had cited locals claiming that they had seen sparks from the electricity pole.
It must have been the 3rd or 4th fire this summer where bad maintained power poles have been blamed.
Later on Sunday, the two DEDDHE employees were released following a prosecutor’sdecision.
1,580 hectares burned down
The big wildfire in Keratea claimed the life of an elderly man, burned down people’s homes and a total of 1,581 hectares of forest and grassland between Keratea and Anavyssos, according to the National Observatory of Athens.
Extreme Fire Risk also on Sunday
The Civil Protection has issued a map warning of Extremely High Fire Risk in Athens/Attica, Evia and Viotia also on Sunday, August 10, 2025.
Mark RED: Alter Category 5 – Marked Orange: Very High Risk, Category 4, Marked yellow: High Risk, Category 3.
PS Refrain from outdoors activities that could start a fire and call 199, if you spot one.
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