Greek authorities late Friday cited three arrests so far on arson charges, in Fokida prefecture, in Attica prefecture and near the southern city of Kalamata.
The arrests come as dozens of wildfires erupted in Greece on Friday, on top of scores of blazes recorded over the past three days, any in quick sequence in the same general location.
In one instance, a 43-year-old local man, was arrested at the Kryoneri site after he was spotted by civil protection volunteers driving a motorcycle in a remote spot without a license plate. He was spotted shortly after a new blaze erupted 50 meters from the spot he was eventually stopped by police officers. The fire has sprung up in a spot where no wildfire activity was previously recorded.
The man denied the arson charge and said he was seeking to assist in fire-fighting efforts. A later search of his residence turned up small quantities of "recreational drugs" but also fireworks and flares, police said.
He was later identified as a suspect in at least two other wildfires that erupted in the same region of northwest Athens this week.
