Kefalogiannis: Seven out of ten wildfires are caused by human activity, and mainly due to negligence

"Today is maybe the most difficult day of this summer. The regions of Attica, Evia and half the Peloponnese are in the red zone, meaning the highest alert level, while the rest of the country is either in orange or yellow," emphasised Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Yiannis Kefalogiannis, speaking of the extremely difficult weather conditions and the extreme risk of wildfires in an interview on Saturday with OPEN TV, adding that "the state mechanism is on full alert."

Kefalogiannis issued a clear and repeated appeal to citizens to show absolute responsibility and vigilance: "Caution, caution, caution. I say this because seven out of ten wildfires are caused by human activity, and mainly due to negligence—which means that if we are careful, we can prevent fires."

The Minister also spoke about the issue of individual responsibility and prevention: "Seven out of ten wildfires are caused by human activity. I’m not going to claim we’ll reduce 70% of them, but even if we prevent half of those, you understand that we’re truly accomplishing a national mission. And this isn’t about blaming our fellow citizens or our neighbours. This concerns our property, our lives, and the environment itself. If we have a friend who is acting carelessly, we must step in and stop them."