Thirteen people have been arrested following a forest fire on the Greek island of Hydra, which authorities believe was started by fireworks launched from a yacht. The fire, which started on Friday, devastated the island’s sole pine forest. Although now under control, the fire presented significant challenges for firefighters who had to access the area by sea and use helicopters to drop water due to the lack of roads leading to the beach.

Hydra, southwest of Athens in the Saronic Gulf, is popular among foreign visitors and those travelling on yachts.

The latest blaze was ”caused by fireworks launched from a boat and burned the only pine forest on the island in a place that is difficult to access and has no road”, Hydra’s firefighting team said on Facebook.

In a statement on Saturday, Greek authorities confirmed the arrest of 13 Greek citizens who are scheduled to appear before prosecutors on Sunday. An official said the people were arrested at an Athens area marina.

The incident has caused widespread outrage in Greece, which is already grappling with multiple wildfires amidst its first heatwave of the year. The country has been on high alert for wildfires due to dry conditions, strong winds, and high temperatures, which are expected to persist throughout the summer. Officials say 64 forest and brush fires have broken out in Greece over the past 24 hours. 

Hydra’s mayor, Giorgos Koukoudakis, expressed anger over the reckless actions that led to the fire. 

“We are indignant that some people so irresponsibly throw fireworks into a pine forest,” Hydra’s mayor, Giorgos Koukoudakis, told Greek broadcaster ERT.

In a related incident, a 55-year-old volunteer firefighter succumbed to injuries sustained while combating a fire in the Ilia region of the Peloponnese peninsula.

Scientists have warned that fossil fuel emissions caused by humans are worsening the length and intensity of heat waves around the world.

Additionally, arson remains a significant problem, with 79 people arrested for arson last August. To combat this, Greece increased penalties for both deliberate and negligent arson last year, introducing fines of up to 200,000 Euro and jail sentences of up to 20 years​

Toronto:

A wildfire burning near Fort Nelson, in rural British Columbia has grown in size but is moving away from the town, offering some relief to residents who were forced to evacuate, a provincial wildfire service said on Tuesday.

Some 3,000 residents had to flee the town after the fire was discovered on May 10, and is believed to be human caused, the agency added.

Still, across Canada some 135 active fires are burning of which 40 are out of control. The Environment Canada has issued air quality advisories on Tuesday for British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories.

Smoke from wildfires in northeast British Columbia have worsened air quality and reduced visibility in northwest Alberta, Environment Canada said.

The agency forecasts a wind shift on Thursday, resulting in some improvement, but additional fires burning near the Northwest Territories border are likely to contribute to continued poor air quality.

“Wildfire smoke will spread across parts of northern Alberta today and will continue on Wednesday,” Environment Canada said.

Wildfire season in Canada typically runs from April, when the snow melts, until September or October when cooler temperatures and increased precipitation helps dampen fire activity.

Last year, Canada recorded its worst-ever wildfire season, with over 6,000 fires torching some 18.5 million hectares (45 million acres) simultaneously in the east and west of the country, according to Natural Resources Canada.

A number of active fires in the province of Manitoba has resulted in evacuation of thousands of residents in the town of Cranberry Portage, according to a fire bulletin from the Manitoba Wildfire Service.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Authorities in California have found a unique way to stop wildfires. They are deploying goats to graze across the state and create a buffer for potential wildfires, according to the BBC. Armed with their appetites, a herd of goats can clear about an acre of brush in a day, thus removing the fuel a wildfire needs to spread. These animals are playing an important role for California that has been at the epicentre of battling wildfires. They have become more frequent, more destructive, and larger, since 1980.

“The reception is overwhelmingly positive wherever we go. It’s a win-win scenario as far as I can tell,” goat herder Michael Choi told the BBC.

He runs a family business that leases goats to city agencies, like the fire department, schools and other clients. They have 700 goats, but recently had to expand their herd to keep up with the demand.

“I think as people get more aware of the idea, and environmental impact, they become more conscious about which methods they want to use for clearing weeds and protecting the landscape from fires. So, there’s definitely a bigger demand, and it’s a growing trend,” said Mr Choi.

A CBC News report said that goats are proving to be ideal for California since they don’t mind the heat, and don’t need anything more than water.

These goats can also graze at any landscape, from grassy flat lands to steep slopes. The outlet also spoke to Mr Choi who said a well-trained guard dog can keep the predators away.

“They eat it pretty much as well as a fire department would require, down to like three inches of brush on the ground. And I mean, in the process, they also treat soil with their fertilizer and their hooves, and get it all nice and ready for the next rain,” he told CBC News.

The BBC said that California faced an “unprecedented” wildfire season in 2021. Last year, the season was “mild” and August this year was cooler and wetter that average. Still, more than a quarter of a million acres have burned, and four people have died.