Fire in Chios: Two Arrests for Arson – Battle Against Rekindling

For the third consecutive day, the fire continues to rage in Chios, having burned over 60,000 acres on the island, leaving residents in a state of terror. According to police information regarding the fire in Chios, two women have been detained: one in Athens and another on the island itself. Specifically, a young Georgian woman was brought in for questioning about the fires in Chios after being spotted suspiciously near one of the rekindled flames during the fifth incident on the second day of the fire. She was led to provide testimony through an interpreter to the responsible firefighting authorities investigating the cause of the blaze. Another Georgian woman, reportedly a friend of the first suspect, was located in Piraeus as she prepared to leave the country. ‘There are strong suspicions that something deliberate occurred,’ stated Kostas Moutzouris, Regional Governor of North Aegean, adding, ‘Let’s wait for the competent authorities to decide.’ After sunset on Tuesday (24/06/2025), when aircraft and helicopters stopped flying, powerful ground forces took full responsibility for firefighting efforts. As reported by the mayor of the island, Giannis Malafis to ethnos, ‘Everyone is on their feet, battling until dawn on Wednesday to contain active fires near peaks, in inaccessible areas, and where there is no road network. The wind intensity has decreased but we still cannot say the situation is good. Large operations are ongoing, and firefighting forces are constantly being reinforced.’ The fire continues to burn in the south with winds subsiding, and the active front extends from Agios Georgios towards Vessa and Lithi. However, the battle against rekindling persists due to numerous small fires across different locations. In Lithi, the situation was dramatic early in the morning, as highlighted by community president Nektarios Cavvakakis, with the fire reaching the coastal settlement and necessitating the evacuation of a hotel.