Athens, Greece

According to media reports, Greek authorities indicted 13 members of a luxury yacht's crew on Sunday (June 23) for allegedly setting off fireworks that resulted in a significant blaze on an island close to Athens.

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The crew will go on trial on Wednesday on charges of starting a criminal fire, according to the ERT public television.

The crew may face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to 200,000 euros ($214,000) under a recently strengthened law, which has brought attention to the case due to a recent spike in wildfires.

The crew disputed the claims, and prosecutors will not arrest the 17 Kazakh passengers who were on the boat when the fireworks went off on Friday night, according to ERT.

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Also read: Greece's summer tragedy: Record heat wave ignites wildfires, closes Acropolis, and claims tourists' lives

According to the Civil Protection Service, some of the fireworks fell on the island of Hydra and caused a fire that destroyed roughly 30 hectares (75 acres) of pine forest.

At the hearing on Sunday, the captain of a neighbouring ship who witnessed the fireworks being set off was reportedly questioned.

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At the beginning of the summer season, scores of wildfires have left at least one dead and severely damaged resorts and the Greek countryside.

Watch | Greece closes ancient tourist sites amid heatwave, strong winds expected to hit

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Extreme caution has been advised by the public protection agency due to the "very high" potential of fires, especially in the Attica area, the Peloponnese peninsula, and central Greece.

Greece's islands and mainland have seen a plethora of fires, some of which are thought to have been started intentionally.

The disastrous fires of 2023, which forced thousands of people to flee Rhodes, have put the nation on high alert for this summer. The hot and dry weather will be made worse by gusts of up to 46 miles per hour, according to the National Meteorological Service of Greece.

(With inputs from agencies)