A woman from the Greek town of Tripoli has been accused of intentionally starting fires because she liked watching the firemen work and wanted to have a chance to flirt with them.
She was arrested on August 26 and sentenced to three years in prison and a fine of $1,111 on August 30, according to the local publication Greek Reporter.
The woman committed the acts of arson in August, setting two farming areas near Tripoli on fire, authorities said. The fire brigade was able to quickly extinguish the blaze in both cases.
Local TV channel SKAI reported that the firefighters were suspicious of the woman as she appeared at both scenes. They brought her in for questioning and she reportedly told them she started the fire to flirt with the men who came to put it out.
The woman reportedly wasn’t looking for any specific man but wanted to meet someone wearing a uniform, per the outlet. The channel added that this was an easy way for her to do that.
A firefighter looks on during a fire near the village of Vati, just north of the coastal town of Gennadi, in the southern part of the Greek island of Rhodes on July 25, 2023. A Greek woman started at least 2 fires to meet men in uniform. She was sentenced to 3 years in prison.
SPYROS BAKALIS/AFP via Getty Images
The firemen had a difficult job putting the fires down as it was near a residential area and a lot of people reportedly showed up, according to SKAI.
According to the Greek Reporter, starting wildfire, even by accident, is a criminal offense. Minister for Climate Crisis, Vassilis Kikilias announced it in June as a warning as even a small fire can cause large damage during the wildfire season.
Greece is also currently battling extreme drought and wildfire season. Three weeks ago, the fire brigade was fighting one of the worst wildfires in living memory, according to The Guardian.
The blaze was dangerously close to the capital city of Athens and the emergency services reportedly had to evacuate suburbs including patients in hospitals. The government requested help from other European nations which sent their fire brigades to Greece to help tackle the destructive element.
The ongoing drought causes wildfires to spread more rapidly.
The BBC reported that due to several months of droughts, water reservoirs in Greece are drying out. The water levels in the Mornos dam in southern Greece, which supplies the entire capital, decreased enough to reveal houses in a village that was submerged when the dam was built.
Much of continental Europe was drier than average in 2024, according to Copernicus Climate Change Service.
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