Heroic fisherman who saved dozens during Mati wildfires has passed

The funeral of the heroic man, who with his boat managed to save dozens of people in Mati when the deadly firestorm on July 23 destroyed the area, will take place this afternoon at 5 pm at the Church of St. Nicholas in Halandri Square.

His family's desire is to donate money to Father Antonios' "Ark of the World" instead of wreaths.

The funeral will be held at a public expense, as announced by the Prime Minister's Press Office at noon on Sunday. Kyriakos Mitsotakis himself, in a post on twitter, bade the hero fisherman farewell, stressing that the decision to hold his funeral at public expense is "a sign of gratitude from all of us for the bravery shown on the night of the Mati Tragedy".

Shocking is the latest Facebook post by the late Kostas Arvanitis, who passed away at 70 after a long illness.

In his post, on his birthday on July 23, Kostas Arvanitis wrote: "I have not spoken much about what I experienced that night as I was unable to manage pain, despair, sympathy with my fellow humans, but also for the animals, pets and strays, saved by the burnt people I took aboard the boat with my family and my sailor. "

The heroic fisherman who raided his boat on the night of the fire saved about 70 people also writes that he experienced "political exploitation after two weeks when we were called to Mati (along with party-hacks) to thank the prime minister and there the media presented us as Matip citizens who cheered on government policy. "

Kostas Arvanitis also related how they urged him to "sing Christmas carols, along with Muslim sailors to the Atheist Prime Minister," and when he refused he was barred from meeting with the President of the Republic.