Greek police, fire service chiefs fired in wake of deadly fire
ASSOCIATED PRESS
People swim at a beach in Rafina, east of Athens, on Aug. 1, ten days after the the wildfire. The bodies of 76 people killed by Greece’s deadliest wildfire in decades have been identified, authorities said, as forensic experts kept working to identify more remains recovered from the charred resort area.
ATHENS, Greece >> The Greek government says the chiefs of the national police and fire service have been fired in the wake of a forest fire that killed at least 90 people near Athens.
The government said today the chiefs were replaced by their deputies.
The former chief of Hellenic Police, Constantine Tsouvalas, had been in his post since February 2016. The former Hellenic Fire Service chief, Sotiris Terzoudis, had served since February of this year.
The changes came a day after Greece’s public order minister, Nikos Toskas, resigned. Interior Minister Panos Skourletis took over Toskas’ duties overseeing Greece’s security services.
The death toll from the July 23 fire has risen to at least 90 after a 55-year-old woman and an 85-year-old man with extensive burns died over the weekend.
