Three people were arrested in total for the wildfires in Patras, two arrests concern the fire in Sychaina and the third arrest relates to the fire in the wider area of the nursing home. “I don’t remember anything, I had drunk too much tsipouro”, claimed the 27-year-old accused of arson in Sychaina, Patras, denying any involvement in what he is charged with.
Furthermore, according to SKAI information, he claimed that he has no connection to the fires and that due to excessive alcohol consumption he had memory gaps. In contrast, the 19-year-old who was arrested with him, confessed his involvement. According to his testimony, on the night of the fire he was in a square with friends, they were drinking beers and using cannabis, when they decided to set fire. “I set the fire with a lighter,” he reportedly claimed, according to SKAI.
It should be noted that the two young men are charged with arson in forest and non-forest areas, repeatedly, continuously and in complicity, while they were given time to testify. From the testimonies and photographs available to the authorities, it appears that the 19-year-old was driving the motorcycle that residents of the area captured on camera and the 27-year-old was sitting in the passenger seat.
Patras fires: The 25-year-old appears before investigator tomorrow
Meanwhile, tomorrow, Saturday, the 25-year-old, who is accused of arson in the area of the nursing home, is expected to appear before the investigator. According to ERT, while the large fire from Sychaina Patras was in progress and was coming towards the specific area, the 25-year-old, who appeared yesterday before the prosecutor at the Patras Court Building, requested to testify as quickly as possible, claiming that he is innocent, as circles close to the 25-year-old say he was found at the scene to help extinguish the fire and not to set fire himself.
The prosecutor decided to give him time to testify tomorrow Saturday, where he -according to ERT information- is expected to claim that he has no connection to the arson, that he was found in the field there when he saw a burning spot in order to extinguish it, he didn’t succeed and when he left the fire started. In fact, there were also people who claim they were with him in the area and were extinguishing the flames that were approaching the nursing home.
The other two defendants, the 19-year-old with the 27-year-old who are charged with the fire in the Sychaina area, will be taken to the investigator on Sunday at 11 in the morning, after the deadline they received.
Investigations for fires in Western Greece
The Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes has gathered significant material from testimonies, photographs and videos for the multiple arson incidents in Western Greece and Chios.
In Paliampela and Vatos Vonitsa three fires broke out within one hour in the early hours of Tuesday, in inaccessible locations. The authorities have testimonies that direct investigations to two suspects.
For the fire in Flamboura Preveza, testimonies and photographs point to a man who was moving with a blue motorcycle and his identification is being investigated, as he was seen at the fire’s starting point. In Zakynthos, in Koiliomenos, evidence points to a 59-year-old who had also been arrested last year for arsons in the same area.
Similarly, in Gymnotopo Preveza, testimonies, photographs and videos show a power grid pylon sparking and causing ignition in a forested area. A similar finding is being examined for the first fire in Achaia, between Isoma and Vasiliko, where photographic material records high voltage cables coming into contact with tree branches causing sparks. Experts have been appointed for the case.
In Chios finally, the possibility that the fire was caused by high voltage pylons next to wind turbines is being investigated, with authorities evaluating the material that has been gathered.
The decisive role of residents
The two arrested for Sychaina were seen moving suspiciously by a resident of Voundeni who photographed them. “They must have been 19-20 years old and they stop here. I see them, when they had left from here the first fire had started and we took courage to go find them. I ask the passenger to open his bag and I found nothing inside except something that looked like a scarf. The police told me it was probably tow,” the resident told SKAI.
Residents found a bottle with gasoline near the fire’s starting point. “When I asked him what he had left at the 20 meters where there was a small bottle he told me ‘I didn’t leave anything’. When they left I found it and gave it to the police,” she said and added: “The driver was laughing and the passenger was trying to tell me that it’s not like that and that they just came to hang out and watch the fire”.
“You burned Patras”
Outside the Patras courts yesterday, residents of the area gathered and waited for the two arrested upon their exit from the courthouse, with aggressive intentions and aiming to assault them.
After insulting them, shouting among other things “you burned Patras“, they moved threateningly against them. The police officers who were at the scene prevented them, asking for calm to prevail.
“Bravo, my brave one”
The 25-year-old accused of setting fire to an area near the nursing home in Patras, was received with applause after his appearance before the prosecutor. The young man was given time until Saturday.
Upon his exit from the prosecutor, his parents and friends who were at the scene began to applaud him, while a woman who was present at the scene can be heard saying: “Bravo, my brave one“.
