The 13 crew members of the yacht who allegedly caused a fire on Hydra with fireworks were deemed temporary prisoners, and will apologize to the investigator on Wednesday.

The fire in Hydra burned 70 acres of forest, in the middle of the tourist season. The fire broke out in an inaccessible area, where there are no roads, while forest rangers and aerial vehicles managed to put out the fire.

Prosecution for a felony with possible malice for the 13 on the yacht for the fire in Hydra
The prosecutor prosecuted for arson by possible intent. The captain, the two engineers and the other crew members of the yacht, where the flares allegedly came from, were taken to the Piraeus prosecutor at noon on Sunday. They were arrested on Saturday by officers of the Arson Crimes Division of the Fire Brigade.

The crew from the prosecutor to the investigator
The 13 defendants, after the prosecutor, were referred to the investigator, from whom they asked for a deadline to apologize on Wednesday (26/6).

The Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Vassilis Kikilias, emphasized that "according to reports that exist, some individuals with flares, flares, managed to burn 300 acres in Hydra".

The important testimony of the captain
The charge against the 13 arrested is based on the testimony of the captain of another boat which was ashore on the southwest coast of the island. The captain gave a detailed statement to the Fire Department, which will play a key role in the continuation of the case.

According to the new criminal code, arson causing ecological destruction is punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison

Hydra: Indignant residents - The result is awaited
The residents of Hydra are outraged as they are in the middle of the tourist season and 300 acres of forest were burned down because of some reckless people.

The Municipality of Hydra is expected to take legal action against those responsible for the fire.

The yacht was allegedly rented by tourists from Kazakhstan, who were vacationing in Greece and were released. The prosecuting authorities requested the temporary seizure of the boat from where the fireworks "fell" in Hydra.

This is how the fire started in Hydra
On Friday night (21/6), fireworks were launched from the Persefoni I boat, which had been hired by 17 foreigners, and caused the fire in Hydra.

The people on board realized their mistake and tried to put out the fire themselves. Once they realized that they could not bring the fire under control, they left the scene and called the Fire Department.

"I don't know who started the fire," says the captain
For his part, the president of the Panhellenic Union of Private and Professional Yacht Crews (PEPIETH) Giorgos Vallis expressed concern about the fact that the entire crew of the boat was arrested and prosecuted.

"I can understand the self-righteous criminal responsibility of the master, but why were charges brought against people, for example, who practiced the specialties of cook or cabin boy?" asked Mr. Vallis, speaking to ANT1, and revealed that he spoke with the captain shortly after the incident: "The man told me: 'I was in the cabin when the fire broke out. I immediately called all the authorities, I reported the incident, but I don't know anything about who caused it, I'm not involved nothing and I think I got involved in a matter for which I have no responsibility".

Furthermore, Mr. Vallis noted that with the present legislation the throwing of fireworks is absolutely prohibited, even after informing the locally competent Port Authority, which has changed recently, as until recently if the Authority approved it, this could be done. "Therefore," he concluded, "no master would risk losing his own seaman's license by doing one that is plainly illegal."

Finally, he said that the prosecuting authorities should look for the document called "Preference list". According to what happens in the charters of such boats, such a document is submitted by the prospective charterers to the company 10 days before sailing and includes all the "special entertainment preferences" of the charterers. "If these tenants were under the impression that they were allowed to do something like that, they would put it on that list."