Greece Hunts Arsonists As Fires Continue

63 People Killed In Dozens Of Blazes, Prosecutor Wants To Bring Terror Charges

(CBS/AP)  Firefighters rushed helicopters and buses Monday to evacuate more than two dozen villages threatened by towering walls of flames that had killed 63 people while ravaging swaths of forest and farmland in Greece's worst wildfire disaster in memory.

Four days of devastating blazes from the northern border with Albania to the southern island of Crete unnerved and angered Greeks, drawing strong criticism of the government's response and setting off widespread suspicions and finger-pointing.

The government, which declared a state of emergency, implied the destruction could be part of an orchestrated campaign of arson. But environmental experts expressed skepticism.

Greek television showed distant, grainy video that reportedly showed several of the alleged perpetrators starting fires on a hillside, reports CBS News correspondent Richard Roth.

The suggestion, Roth adds, is that rogue land speculators have sought to clear protected forest and farmland, so that it can be developed.

People used garden hoses, buckets, tin cans and branches in desperate - and sometimes futile - attempts to beat back flames and save their homes and livelihoods.

Frightened people called television stations pleading for help from the beleaguered fire service, and helicopters or vehicles were sent to several villages to evacuate threatened residents, although some insisted on staying to fight the flames.

A helicopter flew five people out of Prasidaki in southern Greece, fire department spokesman Yiannis Stamoulis said. Another was sent to the village of Frixa, but residents there refused to leave, he said.

The destruction was so extensive that authorities said they had not had time to tally the amount of burned land - or the number of people injured. Sixty-three people were known dead.

A woman and her four children killed Friday, their charred bodies found with the woman's arms around the youngsters, might have been safe if they had stayed at home. It was the only house left untouched in the village of Artemida in the western Peloponnese. The house's white walls and red tile roof were unscathed, surrounded by blackened earth.

Fanned by strong, hot winds, flames raced through grass and trees parched by three heat waves since June. Fires engulfed villages, forests and farms and scorched woodland around Ancient Olympia, birthplace of the Olympics.

New fires broke out faster than others could be brought under control, leaving behind a devastated landscape of blackened tree trunks, gutted houses and charred animal carcasses.

The destruction and deaths infuriated Greeks, who already had been stunned by deadly forest fires in June and July, and the disaster appeared likely to dominate political debate before parliamentary elections Sept. 16. Many people said the government did not react quickly enough.

After declaring a state of emergency over the weekend, the government raised the possibility of arson and said several people had been arrested. A prosecutor on Monday ordered an investigation into whether arson attacks could come under Greece's anti-terrorism and organized crime laws.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said it could not be coincidence that so many fires broke out simultaneously in so many areas.

Villagers made similar charges. "These fires were set deliberately, it happens all the time," said Adrianna Katsiki, 45, from the fire-damaged village of Varvassaina in a part of the western Peloponnese that suffered 42 deaths.

In past fires, land developers have been blamed for fires, allegedly using blazes to sidestep laws that ban construction on forest land. Greece has no land registry, so once a region has been burned, there is no definitive proof of whether it was forest, farm or meadow.

"It is rather late now, but the state should designate these areas to be immediately reforested, map them and complete the forest registry without further delay," said Yiannis Revythis, chairman of the association of Athens real estate agents. "If an area is officially designated as forest land, who will burn it as it will still count as forest land?"

But it was not clear who - if anyone - is responsible for these fires.

"I think it is unlikely that land development was an incentive behind the arson," said Nikos Bokaris, head of the Panhellenic Union of Forestry Experts. "The afflicted areas are not prime targets for construction. These are mountain areas where land is not that valuable."

An official of the WWF environmental group also dismissed the notion of an orchestrated arson campaign.

"I think these are very dangerous assessments, particularly when the evidence so far does not seem to back them," said Theodota Nantsou, the group's conservation manager for Greece.

The worst fires were concentrated in the mountains of the Peloponnese in the south and on the island of Evia north of Athens. Strong winds blew smoke and ash over the capital.

Greece's few remaining patches of forest were being rapidly incinerated, and the environmental consequences will be dire, experts said.

"This is an immense ecological disaster," said Nantsou. "We had an explosive mixture of very adverse weather conditions, tinder-dry forests - to an extent not seen for many years - combined with the wild winds of the past two weeks. It's a recipe to burn the whole country."

Bokaris said authorities would have to move quickly to avert environmental problems, such as dangerous runoff from rains on denuded slopes.

"Authorities will have to take measures to forestall ground erosion," he said. "Luckily, in the broader area there are no large cities that will bear the brunt of floodwaters from the mountains. There will be more floods, but the waters will be carried through the natural system of watercourses and ravines to the sea."

The government has budgeted more than $274 million for immediate aid to families, businesses and communities. Authorities also appealed for help from abroad, and 19 countries promised planes, helicopters and firefighters.

The U.S. was discussing with the Greek government what form of aid was needed, State Department spokesman Tom Casey said in Washington. "I hope that shortly we will have some concrete plans to announce to you," he said.

[goldesprit]

I positively hate to say this.

The United States is going to have to exemplify power in this regard:

The world must be shown that it is far easier to destroy than to build.

Perhaps then...idiots, who will probably never have a real clue that they are impressing no one...
will realize they are wasting their time.

[swwils]

They need to catch all these fire bugs and set them on fire,maybe they will quit doing this stuff!

[oakishpines]

'' ... before the war, after the war, during the war: most folk most time still dance porno get sick tax world get well feed world songs rallied around the sick beds drifting tens millions spore bloom weed dragon trail fickle first aid lunch farm cottage studio trail groups ... war is heaven ... ''

'' ... the question isn''t will slavery end, economically it is not viable, the question isn''t will employment end, economically it is not viable, the question isn''t will war end, economically it is not viable ... the question
is how many folk can we afford to torment till it''s over ... ''

[rheola-2009]

With reference to the remarks made by V_1618.

We all are unfortunately becoming accustomed to so many Pompous arrogant disgusting remarks being made on these boards by many people, which show Americans in particular, and some others as a nation of people who consider themselves as above all others.

Just stand back and have a look at yourselves, you will see why you are so poorly thought of through out the world.

I fully realize that such comments, as of this creature, are not necessarily those of the general population, however the perception is of a nation of arrogant, ignorant and self considered superior race, when in fact the truth is nearer the opposite.

[mandylou4u]

I hate to see this happening. Greece is my husbands home land and he is deeply saddened as am I. V_1618, why are you so mad?? There are probably more terrorists here in the US than we all know of. Did you have a Greek person do something horrible to you? Just curious.

[tnt1954]

world aflame by billy graham crackers and milk.
he prophesied we''d all go up in smoke. the
super conflagration. a dangerous psychopath
no doubt, who wanted it to happen as soon
as his royal insanity died. he''s dying ya
know and he wants to take us all to Hell
with him. the crackpot. here we all are
on the planet of the damned. people in hell
want ice water. since billy graham is damned,
he had too much money, only the poor go to
heaven, parable of lazarus and the rich man
dives, we take ice water to people in hell
and our pay is being burned alive. and then
our ashes rise to heaven in a holocaust to
the Lord God of All. a.l.a. though, alcoholic
liberation army, need ice water? that costs
money too, especially on the planet of the damned.

[rray52]

V_1618
Wow, did you think that up all by yourself, or read it in a public toilet.

[tnt1954]

its revenge for the destruction of troy.
usc has calumniated the greeks. fraternites
sororities are of satan. how dare you
destroy troy and kidnap helen. paris
shall pay with his golden fleece being
fleeced from underneath his boat of argonauts.
cyprus bums have spoken from northeast division
l.a.p.d. univeristy of southern california
has good football team and tommy trojan.
troy shall suffer no more. there is the theory
that you only live twice, once before this,
and in this life, which is hell, where we
have been sent as rebellious angels, far
from God''s prescence. the war in heaven
was won by God. we are the angels of lucifer
who backed satan and all in this dimension
of existence are damned here forever, for
rebelling against God. our sins are retained
saith pope tarry paul. suffer best you can.
i, chief morning star of the apache bid
you good luck as we continue to subsist
in hell.

[gordon.couger]

I apologize for my arrogant countrymen. The internet brings out some really ugly people. A lot are American''s because we make up so much of the internet population and we have the right of almost absolute free speech. Having the right to be and *** doesn''t mean you must be one as the news bloggers seem to think they must. It their lust to attack each other they are careless about what they say or where they say it.

I hope the fires in Greece aren''t arson. Prosecuting that will be almost as bad as burning the country again. Few American''s realize the battle in that part of the world to keep things in order everyday.

Nature can cause a fire storm like Greece has today. The fires can cause lightening the sets new fires and the winds and rising air currents from that many large fires hurls flaming trees hundreds if not thousands of meters out in unburned areas.

That said, fires bring out the very worst in a very few people. And one person can starts lots of fires when the conditions are right. We had one here North of Oklahoma City that drove a white pick up truck that took 4 or 5 years to catch.

If you can get infrared images from satellite fires set by man are almost always more or less in line and separated in time along the line. Natural fires have much less order in the way they start. As dry as it is and as fast as the fires are buring it will take some luck to get the images you need for this.

I hope it rains soon.

Gordon

[ndjam]

Greece is one of the greatest countries on this planet. This calls for international help quickly. If you can Donate money, donate your time, donate your help, anything to help the country of Greece.

[markjoel1]

Is Greece allowing touriest into there country?

[starleo146]

Posted by V_1618 at 08:42 PM : Aug 27, 2007

Man what is your problemY you are sick, Greece is a beautiful place and this is a crying shame, this should not happen to anyone. I hope no one judges the Americans by your words this would just be awful.