cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/16811693

Fireworks launched from a yacht in Greece sparked a forest fire on the island of Hydra on Friday, the local firefighting authority has said.

The blaze burnt the only pine forest on the tourist island, which lies south of Athens, the authority wrote on Facebook.

It has now been brought under control, but with difficulty. As there are no roads to the beach, firefighters had to access it by sea, while helicopters dropped water from the air.

The cause of the fire has prompted outrage in Greece, which is already battling several wildfires and is in the grip of its first heatwave of the year.