Sellia: 35-year-old before prosecutor over fire

A man aged 35 was brought before the prosecutor on Sunday 16 August 2026, accused of negligently causing the fire that broke out at Sellia, in the Municipality of Agios Vasileios. The fire started at around 19:00 on Friday 14 August and led to the evacuation of two settlements, Foteinari and Souda in Rethymno, through 112 messages. According to reports, fire service investigators questioned three people who were staying in a rented house in the area and proceeded to arrest the 35-year-old. The accused is covered by the presumption of innocence until the irrevocable judgment of the courts. TodayGrid does not publish details of the accused’s identity or nationality, as these are not essential to the news.

The charge concerns the use of a barbecue on a day when the risk index for Crete stood at category 4, meaning very high risk, under which a full ban on the use of fire in the open air applies. The owner of the house publicly apologised, stating that the tenants «had also been informed in writing of the ban on using the barbecue when winds prevail». The preliminary investigation is continuing and no official estimate of the burnt area has been made public. It is noted that one of the sources places the start of the fire on the Thursday, whereas 14 August 2026 was a Friday; the remaining sources converge on the Friday.

The incident fits into a wider pattern reflected in the Fire Service’s figures. From 1 January to 15 August 2026 there were 297 arrests nationwide for arson, of which 267 concerned arson by negligence and only 30 arson with intent. Over the same period 716 administrative penalties and fines were imposed, totalling 1,136,593 euros. In other words, nine out of ten arrests concern carelessness rather than intent. That ratio also explains the logic of the measures: bans on high-risk days do not target arsonists but aim to reduce the opportunities for an accident.

The debate over protecting southern Rethymno remains open. The mayor of Agios Vasileios, Giannis Tatarakis, had sent a letter to grid operator DEDDIE a few hours before the fire broke out, asking for the gradual burial of the network in areas hit by strong winds, among them Sellia. The timeline of the fire and of the response had been recorded by TodayGrid in the report «Sellia: fire with evacuations in two settlements». More from the area on the Agios Vasileios page. The fire at Sellia led to the evacuation of two settlements and occupied dozens of firefighters for two days, with helicopters forced at times to withdraw because of nine-Beaufort winds.

Update 16:20: The owner of the holiday home where the fire is reported to have started made a public statement at midday on Sunday 16 August 2026. In a post on social media he said that guests are informed both on arrival and in writing of the ban on using a barbecue when winds prevail in the area. He said he did not wish to prejudge the investigation or to attribute responsibility, leaving the matter to the competent authorities, and apologised to his fellow villagers for the damage to olive groves and homes and for the fear caused by the evacuations. He thanked the fire service, the authorities, the volunteers and the residents who took part in putting out the fire, and pledged to stand by those affected and to support the compensation procedures. The 35-year-old brought before the prosecutor remains an accused person and is considered innocent until a court rules otherwise.

Update 20:30: Criminal proceedings were brought against the 35-year-old for arson with possible intent, a graver charge than the initial assessment of arson by negligence. The accused was brought earlier on Sunday 16 August 2026 before the Rethymno first-instance prosecutor and, after the charges were filed, is being held. He will be brought on Monday 17 August 2026 before the investigating judge of Rethymno to give his defence statement. Arson with possible intent differs legally from arson by negligence: it presupposes that the perpetrator foresaw the possibility of causing a fire and accepted it, without seeking it. It is recalled that in the preliminary investigation by the Arson Crime Investigation Unit three people who had rented the house had been brought in. The accused is presumed innocent until irrevocably judged by a court, and TodayGrid does not publish details of his identity or nationality.

Update 11:30: The 35-year-old is being brought on Monday 17 August 2026 before the investigating judge of Rethymno, after the extension granted to him by the prosecutor on Sunday to prepare his defence statement. According to Politica.gr and Creta24, the charge attributed to him is arson with possible intent, while the preliminary investigation places the origin of the fire in a barbecue at the rented house where he was staying. After the defence statement, the investigating judge will decide whether restrictive conditions or pre-trial detention will be imposed. The accused is presumed innocent until an irrevocable court decision is issued.