Greek authorities said on Friday that three people have been arrested for suspected arson, as devastating wildfires continue to scorch thousands of hectares of forest land across the country, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
The Fire Brigade has activated teams of arson investigators and so far three people have been arrested over the fires in Fokida Prefecture of central Greece, Attica region and Kalamata city in Peloponnese, Greek Deputy Minister for Civil Protection and Crisis Management Nikos Hardalias said in an emergency briefing on Friday evening.
"A total of 98 new fire outbreaks were recorded in the last 24 hours. Firemen were trying to extinguish 154 fires on Friday, 64 of them are still active," he said.
In the northern suburbs of Athens, firefighters raced to contain the fire fronts claiming forests and houses, heading to Lake Marathon, as authorities carried out massive evacuations.