Greece: Israeli arrested after lighting a barbecue and starting a fire
Media outlets on the island of Crete reported that three Israelis staying at a villa in the west of the island did not heed warnings and lit a fire despite the volatile weather and the forested area where they were staying. About one hundred firefighters struggled for several hours to extinguish the blaze.
Fuel for antisemitism: A 35-year-old Israeli citizen was arrested by police on the island of Crete after a barbecue he lit caused a forest fire in the northwest of the island. The Israeli is expected to be questioned today (Sunday) by the detective unit of the Rethymno police.
According to a report on the local news site "Eimperida," the man was arrested on suspicion of "reckless and negligent arson" of a natural forest after embers from a grill caused a blaze in an area under a severe level 4 fire warning, the second highest level on the Greek fire risk scale.
The Greek news site "Flash" reported that the fire started at a villa rented by three Israelis who decided to light a fire despite strong winds and the owner's explicit warning about a strict ban on lighting fires. The villa owner apologized for the distress caused to local residents in a post on Facebook.
It was further reported that the fire was extinguished after about four hours and that no major damage or casualties were caused. About one hundred local firefighters participated in the operation, utilizing 20 fire trucks brought from other areas of the island.
