What the 19-year-old accused of starting the fire in Sychaina claimed, and the decisive role of the residents – “The driver was laughing”
Officials of the Arson Crimes Investigation Directorate have in their possession a wealth of testimonies, photographs, and videos related to the fires
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The 19-year-old and the 27-year-old who were arrested for the fire in Sychaina, Patras, were given time to prepare their statements. The two are charged with multiple counts of arson in forested and non-forested areas, committed repeatedly and in collaboration. The 19-year-old is reported to have confessed to starting the fire. For the fire in the area of the Patras nursing home, a 25-year-old had been arrested, while another person carrying four lighters was taken in for questioning in Aroi.
Regarding the fire in Sychaina, the 19-year-old confessed and allegedly told SKAI:
“We were drinking beers in a square with a group of friends, smoking cannabis, and at some point, we said we should start a fire. I lit the fire with a lighter.”
The 27-year-old denies all charges and, according to police sources, stated:
“I didn’t do anything like that. I don’t remember anything. I must have had memory gaps. I had drunk a lot of tsipouro.”
The 19-year-old was driving the motorcycle photographed by residents, and the 27-year-old was the passenger.
Evidence on the fires Officials from the Arson Crimes Investigation Directorate have a large amount of testimonies, photos, and videos concerning the fires that broke out in Western Greece and Chios.
In Paliambela and Vato, Vonitsa, three fire fronts broke out at 3:00, 3:30, and 4:10 a.m. on Tuesday in locations with difficult access. According to SKAI, there is evidence and witness statements pointing the investigation toward two suspects who are expected to be summoned once the investigation is completed.
For the fire in Flampoura, Preveza, there are testimonies and photographs leading to a man on a blue motorcycle. Authorities are working to identify the rider, as he had stopped at the spot where the fire started.
In Koiliomenos, Zakynthos, there are witness statements and photos linking a 59-year-old—previously arrested last year for starting at least two fires in the same area—to the incident.
For the fire in Gymnotopos, Preveza, there are testimonies, photos, and videos showing a DEDDIE utility pole sparking in a forested area, followed by the outbreak of the fire.
As for the first fire that broke out in Achaia, between Isoma and Vassiliko, officials from the arson crimes unit are examining evidence and witness accounts suggesting the fire started from a DEDDIE utility pole. They also have photos of high-voltage cables entangled with tree branches swaying in the wind and producing sparks. Experts have been appointed to analyze the evidence.
In Chios, authorities are examining whether the fire was caused by high-voltage pylons located next to wind turbines, with photos and videos under review.
The decisive role of the residents – “The driver was laughing” The two arrested individuals were seen acting suspiciously by a resident of Vounteni, who photographed them.
“They must have been 19–20 years old, and they stopped here. I saw them, and when they had left, the first fire had already started. We gathered the courage to go find them. I asked the passenger to open his bag, and I didn’t find anything inside except for something that looked like a scarf. The police later told me it was probably a rag,” the resident told SKAI.
Residents found a gasoline bottle near the ignition point of the fire:
“When I asked him what he had left 20 meters away—where there was a small bottle—he said, ‘I didn’t leave anything.’ When they left, I found it and handed it to the police.”
“The driver was laughing, and the passenger tried to tell me that it wasn’t like that, that they had just come to hang out and watch the fire,” the resident said.
