5 ex-officials were convicted over Greece’s deadliest fire but freed after paying fines

A court in Athens convicted five former senior firefighting and disaster response officials on Monday, over a 2018 wildfire outside the capital that killed more than 100 people.

The fire that swept through the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens, was the deadliest in the country's history. Residents and vacationers, many trapped in their cars, were killed as they tried to escape.

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.

All five convicted officials were let go and allowed to pay fines in lieu of serving their sentences, estimated at up to 40,000 euros ($43,000) each.

A sixth defendant, the owner of the property...