Mati fire expert witness paints picture of chaos

Testifying for the 10th day, Dimitris Liotsios, the forensic expert witness who investigated the circumstances that turned the fire in East Attica in July 2018 into a tragedy that resulted in 104 deaths, referred again to the chaos and confusion regarding the deployment of airborne means to fight the blaze. 

The trial is examining the response, or lack thereof, of the state apparatus, to the wildfire.

Liotsios said that, based on the evidence he had gathered, in the critical hours of the deadly fire there were 13 air assets available. But, nonetheless, he noted, they “did not even attempt to fly.”

The witness, whose examination revealed discrepancies between the handwritten logbook entries of the Forest Fire Coordination Center and the statements of the firefighting pilots, said, once again, that there was an early picture of the situation but the necessary response was not forthcoming.