A Greek court has sentenced four former fire and civil protection officials to numerous years in prison stemming from charges related to a 2018 wildfire in the coastal town of Mati that left more than 100 people dead.
Fire Brigade Chief Sotiris Terzoudis, Deputy Vassilis Matthaiopoulos, the former head of the National Coordination Center for Operations and Crisis Management (ESKE) Ioannis Fostieris, and former Civil Protection Secretary-General Ioannis Kapakis were each sentenced to serve five years in prison for causing loss of life through negligence, according to the Associated Press and local newspaper Kathimerini.
According to these reports, the court ruled that the officials failed to organize an orderly evacuation during the wildfire that swept through Mati, east of Athens, on July 23, 2018. Residents were forced to find their own ways of escape, with some attempting to drive their vehicles through dense forest or trying to flee into the sea.
“Rescuers reported finding the bodies of more than 20 people huddled together near a beach. Others were found in or near groups of vehicles that became trapped,” according to WildfireToday reporting from the immediate aftermath of the fires. “As 50 mph winds pushed the fires, residents and tourists took refuge on ocean beaches. Boats plucked some out of the water while others were picked up on the shore and taken to safety. The Greek Coast Guard and other vessels picked up more than 700 who were fleeing from the fire.”
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The AP reported that the officials were initially found guilty in a trial last year but were only fined, not jailed. A prosecutor then challenged the verdict, which led to the retrial and the new ruling.
Kathimerini reporters present at the ruling said the court’s audience members burst into applause and shouting when the officials were escorted out of the courtroom by guards, saying, “Let’s see those handcuffs for a moment,” and, “At least apologize – still unrepentant, even now.”
