Man, 30, held for Corfu blaze
Police on Corfu on Thursday were questioning a 30-year-old local man in connection with a large fire that ravaged large tracts of land in the north of the Ionian island.
Officers said the man, following interrogation, confessed to setting one of the several fires that broke out within a few minutes of each other on Tuesday afternoon. The unnamed suspect has been charged with arson.
According to police, local residents claim to have seen the man at the site of at least three fires, near the villages of Lakones, Aleimatades and Vistonas.
Firefighters managed to bring the three blazes under control by Thursday but a unit remained on standby in the area as the combination of high temperatures and brisk winds could result in a rekindling of the embers. Meanwhile a large firefighting contingent was battling another blaze that broke out in the area of Loutses.
