Greek authorities have arrested two people after investigators concluded that sparks from electricity cables linked to a private wind farm ignited a major wildfire that has been burning for three days west of Athens.
The blaze began on Friday morning near Agios Vasileios in the Boeotia region at a site known as Mavro Spithari.
Fire Service investigators, using video footage and witness statements, determined that oscillations in the conductors of a private transmission line carrying power from a five-turbine wind farm to the national grid produced sparks that fell onto dry vegetation.
The fire then spread rapidly under strong winds into neighbouring Attica, destroying thousands of hectares of forest and scrubland and damaging or destroying around 200 homes in the coastal area of Porto Germeno.
The two suspects, an electrical engineer responsible for the project’s design and supervision and the contractor who installed the cables, were brought before the Thebes Public Prosecutor and face charges of arson with possible malice aforethought.
Police are also seeking the owner of the wind farm.
A similar incident involving the same network occurred only weeks earlier, about 100 metres from the current ignition point, burning around 60 acres before being contained.
The company carried out repair work on the damaged infrastructure, but this was apparently not sufficient and did not prevent the subsequent catastrophic blaze.
Around 500 firefighters, supported by fire engines, aircraft and teams from other European countries, continued battling the flames on Sunday as evacuations were ordered for several villages and an industrial park near Megara. Strong winds have repeatedly hampered aerial operations.
A French court has ruled in favor of local residents and environmental groups, ordering a controversial seven-turbine wind farm to be demolished after causing damage to bird wildlife including the rare Golden Eagle.#ProtectedBirds #France https://t.co/NAq452gRyI
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) December 13, 2023
