Greek gov't shrugs off blame in handling of deadly fire

With criticism mounting against the government over its response, or lack thereof, to last week's devastating wildfire, Citizens' Protection Minister Nikos Toskas insisted that "no operational mistakes were made."

"We immediately diverted the fire-fighting force to Pendeli. The fire was impossible to contain on Marathon Avenue," the deputy minister said over the weekend, while admitting that the chief of the fire service in Mati, the worst-hit part of east Attica, had called for the evacuation of the area. 

Toskas last week said there had been no time to evacuate residents because the blaze spread very quickly and also that there were "indications" arsonists were behind the disaster.

The arson narrative, however, was shot down on Friday in a report from the fire service's arson department (DAEE), which suggested the cause was negligence.

The...