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The flames are now under control. Tents were not destroyed. The first suspects were arrested.
On the Greek island of Samos, a fire broke out near the refugee camp there on Tuesday night. “There is a fire on the edge of the registration center,” said Vathy Mayor Giorgos Stantzos of the German press agency. “The tents are not on fire yet, but I am concerned.” Corresponding images and videos of a large fire source were posted on social media.
First arrests
The fire, not far from the refugee camp, is now half-controlled. This was reported by the island’s online portal “Samos Today” on Tuesday night. The camp is not in danger, Mayor Giorgos Stantzos told radio station Thema 104.6. There were also the first arrests: several men were arrested on suspicion of arson.
It was not clear at first who the men were and what motives they were pursuing. The fire broke out Tuesday night over the refugee camp and the wind carried it up the mountain away from the camp. Fortunately, the surrounding fields did not provide much food for the llamas, they said.
Fire in Vathy, Samos camp. Firefighters at the scene, but the extent of the fire is not yet clear. # COVID-19 #Samos pic.twitter.com/YpqZm6wTSc
– Fareid Atta (@atta_fareid) September 15, 2020
According to Greek media, the fire broke out between 200 and 300 meters above the refugee camp. Just a few days ago, the Moria refugee camp on the nearby island of Lesbos was almost completely destroyed in a major fire. Around 12,000 migrants were left homeless. According to the Greek government, the fires were started by migrants to force people to leave the fields and the island.
Greek politicians warn against “Moria tactics”
Since then, Greek politicians have warned against the “Moria tactic”, according to which fires could also start in other refugee camps on the islands of Samos, Chios, Leros and Kos, especially if the people of Lesbos are brought to the continent or central and northern Europe. would do. In view of the burning camp, the migrants in Lesbos are demanding that they be allowed to leave the island immediately. However, most of them have yet to complete their asylum applications. The Greek government insists that migrants must go through the normal asylum process.
According to the Greek Migration Ministry, around 4,600 migrants live in the Vathy refugee camp, near the town of the same name on the island of Samos, but the camp only has a capacity of around 650 places. Two people tested positive for the corona virus at the camp on Tuesday. After the first corona cases at Camp Moria, the situation on Lesbos escalated last week.
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