Motor yacht crew face criminal charges over Greek island fire allegedly started by firework display Boston 25 News [Video]

ATHENS, Greece — (AP) — A Greek prosecutor on Sunday brought criminal charges against the captain and crew of a chartered yacht suspected of triggering a forest fire on a resort island in the Aegean Sea during a firework display.

Greece has been plagued in recent days by scores of wildfires amid hot, dry and windy weather. On the day of the blaze authorities had warned of a maximum fire risk in several areas, appealing to the public for extreme caution.

The blaze on a remote stretch of coastline on the popular island of Hydra, 40 nautical miles (46 miles) south of Athens, destroyed about 75 acres of pine forest late Friday.

The crew of the large motor yacht, which had allegedly been anchored just off where the fire started with 17 tourists on board, were arrested Saturday when they docked near Athens. The tourists were not detained or charged.

State-run …