32 suspected arsonists arrested so far in Greece. At least 63 dead.

[uppityperson]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6965666.stm

Authorities in Greece have intensified efforts to find out what caused forest fires that have left more than 60 dead. Anti-terrorist squads have been questioning some of the 32 suspected arsonists arrested so far, as new fires continue to break out around Greece.

(clip)
The BBC's Malcolm Brabant, in Athens, says Greece has the feel of a country on a war footing. Our correspondent says the country is awash with theories about who could have set fire to the land. One idea is that the fires could have been started as a way of getting around Greek laws forbidding development on areas designated as forest land.

A top Greek prosecutor has ordered an inquiry into whether arson attacks can be considered terrorism, and prosecuted under Greece's anti-terror laws. Treating arson as a potential act of terrorism would give authorities broader powers of investigation and arrest. Meanwhile, police are patrolling suburban areas on the lookout for fire-starters.

The fires have gutted hundreds of homes, forcing thousands of villagers to flee and blackening hillsides. Many people are still reported to be trapped by the fires...(more@link)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2157292,00.html

Thousands of villagers fled their homes yesterday as the deadliest blazes in recorded Greek history continued to rage across much of the country.

Amid scenes of pandemonium, emergency teams backed by EU water-dropping planes rushed to rescue hundreds trapped in remote hamlets in the southern Peloponnese, the region worst hit by the fires, as flames lapped at the doors of their homes. Choking on smoke, many wept as they were hauled to safety by helicopter, leaving behind landscapes that resembled a war zone: homes reduced to shells, the hulks of burnt-out cars and the countryside dotted with the charred remains of livestock.

The evacuation, the biggest seen in peacetime in Greece, came as the death toll from the fires climbed to 63, and new blazes continued to break out, propelled by gale-force winds.

According to conservative estimates, 110 villages have been razed to the ground, 2.5m hectares (6.2m acres) of farmland consumed, and countless acres of pine forest and olive groves reduced to cinders. Much of Arcadia, in the central Peloponnese, a prime tourist attraction, is reminiscent of moonscape and thousands of rural Greeks fear financial ruin...(more)

[bdamomma]

1. I am so sad that this is happening to such a beautiful country and its people

I hope they find those who are responsible for this madness.

[uppityperson]

6. another thing that gets my goat.

I post this topic and it gets minimal views (134), replies. I ask about legalities of evidence and off it goes into insinuations, accusations, etc etc etc etc. You'd think people, some people, even here on DU are interested in only sexy things, not things like fires, arson, etc. Thanks for letting me rant.

[aquart]

2. My guess is the heat is doing it.

But if the Greeks are right about the fires being started by developers, I'd be happy with hanging. Does any European Union country have the death penalty? If they can't execute them, perhaps they can put the prison in a very dry, heavily wooded area.

[rockymountaindem]

3. Developers? That's so fucked.

No punishment is sufficient for this. God knows how many people they've ruined and killed, not to mention the lost beauty and soil.

[defendandprotect]

4. No, that's where capitalism leads us. Capitalism is deadly to living things -- like the planet.

[uppityperson]

5. One of the articles talked about arson stuff found by the city (Athens?)

batteries, foil, so forth. What a nasty thing to do. Burn it so you can then develop it? Nasty. I don't understand people sometimes.