FILE - People stand amid the charred remains of burned-out cars in Mati east of Athens, Greece, Tuesday, July 24, 2018. A court on Monday, April 29, 2024, has convicted five former Fire Service and disaster response officials over a 2018 wildfire outside Athens that killed more than 100 people. FILE - Buildings burn in the town of Mati, east of Athens, Greece, Monday, July 23, 2018.
The officials, including a former fire chief, received sentences of between 15 and 111 years for multiple counts of criminal negligence resulting in injury and loss of life. But the presiding judge ordered that sentences could be served concurrently, capping jail time at five years. A sixth defendant, the owner of the property where the fire started, received a three-year sentence for negligence and was also let go. Fifteen other firefighting officials, police, civil protection and local government officials were cleared of all charges.