Latest news with #EasternAegean
The Guardian
25-06-2025
- The Guardian
Greece wildfires: woman charged with unintentional arson after cigarette allegedly started blaze on Chios
A Georgian woman accused of accidentally igniting one of several wildfires that have raged relentlessly across the eastern Aegean isle of Chios will appear in court to face charges of unintentional arson. Greek fire brigade officials said the woman, employed as a housekeeper on Chios, the ancestral home of some of Greece's wealthiest shipping families, had 'confessed' to triggering the blaze when she negligently discarded a cigarette. Speaking from the island, Lt Constantine Kozanis told the Guardian the unidentified woman would be tried on Thursday. 'She is being held in detention overnight and will appear in court tomorrow,' he said. 'Because she was caught red-handed the process will move fast now that she has appeared before a public prosecutor. In her testimony to fire brigade investigators she admitted she had thrown a cigarette that had ignited one of [the five] fronts.' Witnesses also reported seeing the incident. More than 400 firefighters, backed by water-dumping aircraft and hundreds of volunteers, have been battling blazes on Chios since Sunday, forcing authorities to call a state of emergency and dozens of villages to be evacuated. Blazes broke out in different areas of the island simultaneously. As the fires spread, fuelled by gale force winds, officials raised the spectre of some of the conflagrations being started deliberately, saying it was otherwise hard to explain how they had erupted in such diverse areas at the same time. Giorgos Toumbos, president of the Chios Mastic Producers Union, told the Greek daily Kathimerini late on Tuesday that efforts were focused on putting out flames raging across a prime plateau to prevent the fires engulfing mastic villages – 14th-century fortified villages famous for their production of mastic resin – farther south. A reported 40,000 hectares have been reduced to ashes on the island. It is unclear how many tourists were visiting Chios when the conflagrations erupted on 22 June. Kozanis said the fires were receding but were by no means 'entirely under control'. 'They have yet to be fully contained,' he added. 'Yes, they are in recession but they have not been extinguished.' A Mediterranean hotspot, Greece is on the frontline of the climate emergency with the country experiencing a dramatic uptick in wildfires because of higher temperatures and ever-drier conditions in recent years. Faced with a dramatic increase in forest fires, Greece's centre-right government has toughened penalties for arson and ecological destruction with the criminal code foreseeing prison terms of up to 20 years and fines of up to €200,000 for such crimes. Greece is experiencing its first heatwave of the summer with temperatures expected to nudge 40C in the coming days.
Daily Mirror
03-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Beautiful Greek island just 4 hours away from Mykonos with barely any tourists
Looking for the perfect holiday destination for this summer? Find out more about Chios, a Greek island with beautiful beaches, hot weather, lots of history and it's crowded-free. Greece is not short of stunning architecture, jaw-dropping coastlines and cuisine tasty enough to make anyone's mouth water. Welcoming millions of visitors annually, Greece is a very popular European destination because of its picturesque beaches, unique islands, historic sites and delicious food. For that same reason, the streets tend to be packed with tourists, especially during summer with hotspots like Santorini and Mykonos regularly under the spotlight due to the sheer amount of people arriving every year. But, there is one place that's still very much a hidden gem. Located in the northern Aegean Sea, Chios is the fifth-largest Greek Island and the 10th largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The island, while more remote, is known for its exports of mastic gum earning it the famous nickname of 'the Mastic Island'. The uniqueness of Chios is also brought by a rare mastic tree, which is only grown in a few places in the world. Despite its mastic draw, it has an array of beautiful beaches and medieval villages drawn together by labyrinth-like pathways. Tourists can either get on a flight direct from the UK or, anyone holidaying in the mainland can fly directly to it from Athens. Alternatively, you could take a ferry from Piraeus port in Athens. Ferry connections between Chios and other Eastern Aegean islands are available as well. EuroNews reports Chios is one of the European islands that has avoided mass tourism. It has been successfully done by 'focusing instead on small, family-run pensions, converted stone houses, and preserving its cultural heritage.' Some of its crowded-free villages include Pyrgi and Mesta, which have been barely reconstructed while maintaining the natural beauty of their crystal-clear waters and white sands. These tiny villages also have unique architectures from their history back to the Neolithic Age. In terms of activities, Chios is the ideal place for history lovers. During your stay, you can learn about Greece's medieval past by visiting the Nea Moni Monastery, a UNESCO World Site. For those who are more adventurous, there are also hiking and scuba diving activities around the island. The cuisine in Chios is also excellent, with a variety of dishes for all taste buds. Some of their most popular ones include Avgokalamara (egg and calamari dish), Herisia Makaronia (Chios-style macaroni), Malathropitakia (cheese pastries), Kopaniste (local cheese), as well as seafood, with its main star being Vokaria (prawn pasta). Other islands that are less crowded, in comparison to Greece's most famous and visited areas include Euboea, Lesvos, Limnos, Samos and Ikaria. If you're looking for a hidden gem that's yet to be discovered, Chios is the perfect place to go before the crowds start to appear!
