Minister quits over fires amid pressure for more departures

Eleven days after the catastrophic fires that ravaged coastal areas of Attica, killing at least 88 people and razing large tracts of forestland, Alternate Minister for Citizens' Protection Nikos Toskas submitted his resignation for a second time to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who this time accepted it. 

According to a statement issued by Tsipras's office, Toskas repeated his offer to resign, first made last week, as the state of emergency imposed for the fires has elapsed. Toskas's duties are to be assumed by Interior Minister Panos Skourletis, it said. 

In a subsequent post on Twitter, Tsipras thanked Toskas for his services and remarked that "the courage of a general is not only measured during the battle, but also during the assessment [that follows]." Toskas, a retired general, issued his own explanation.

"The natural disaster and the loss of so many fellow...