There was a 22.8 pct increase in the number of forest fires that broke out in 2016 compared with the previous year and they had a more devastating effect, with the area of burnt land rising by 124.5 pct. There was also a sharp rise in the number of confirmed cases of arson discovered by investigators, making intentional arson the top causal factor for wildfires in the year.
The above figures were presented on Saturday at the Fire Brigade Operations Centre in the Athens suburb of Chalandri, during the annual memorial event for fire fighters fallen in the line of duty held each year on November 12. Three firefighters lost their lives while battling fires in 2016, adding to the number killed in the line of duty.
The event was attended by Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas.
Based on the figures presented at the event, a total of 7,983 fires were reported from the start of the year until the end of October, while the area of land burnt reached 36,586.9 hectares. There were 6,499 fires during the same months in 2015, burning a total area of 16,296.1 hectares.
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