Dozens of Suspected Arsonists Arrested in Balkans Over Blazes

Albanian police on Tuesday said 15 people had been arrested for deliberate arson since July 25 in connection to wildfires burning for about two weeks in the country.

Wildfires have destroyed hundreds of hectares of forests in Albania while authorities have struggled for days to put them under control. On Monday the authorities called on the Kosovo Security Force, KSF, to help extinguish fires threatening the highway that connects Albania and Kosovo.

On Wednesday, police announced that another person had been arrested for "destruction by fire of forests and the forest environment" and three people were declared wanted. Criminal proceedings were initiated against one other person.

In neighbouring Kosovo, 20 people have been arrested recently for intentional arson in connection with the blazes while 41 other suspects have been identified.

"Kosovo Police identified 109 cases of arson; 71 cases of 'causing general danger', and 95 fire incidents 'endangering the lives of citizens but also property in general, both private and state,'" police told BIRN.

Police said they started criminal proceedings to all the above-mentioned cases and another 41 suspects had been identified and 20 them had been arrested.

In Greece, three people have been arrested for the fires raging in the country. According to the Greek outlet ethnos.gr, a 43-year-old accused of arson in Kryoneri was pretending to be a volunteer; a 47-year-old is accused of trying to set fire to Petroupoli and Agios Dimitrios in Athens and a woman was arrested in a park in Athens.

In Turkey, exact data on the number of people arrested because of the fires is absent, although last week four persons were arrested in Antalya and Bodrum for alleged roles in arson.

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