Μake us preferred on Google A café on Kastamonis Street in Nea Ionia was completely destroyed early Monday morning, September 28, by a fire that spread to the three-story apartment building above it. The Extortion Unit of the Hellenic Police’s Organized Crime Directorate has taken over the case, as authorities believe the fire was set deliberately.
Initial findings from the Fire Service’s Arson Crime Investigation Directorate point to arson, since investigators discovered suspicious evidence at the scene. The café’s owner, a Syrian national, is currently giving a statement to the Extortion Unit. According to reports, he told authorities he had not received any threats or noticed anything that had worried him before the incident.
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Explosions Before the Blaze
The fire broke out at around 4:30 a.m., following an explosion inside the café, which operated as a coffee and hookah shop on the building’s ground floor. The flames quickly climbed to the upper floors.
Witnesses reported hearing a total of three explosions, after which a woman started shouting “fire.” Once the fire was put out, images from the scene revealed the full extent of the destruction. The café was burned to the ground, and apartments on all three floors suffered serious damage. Smoke continued to pour from balconies and interiors for hours afterward, while firefighters remained on alert.
According to the Fire Service, the balconies of the upper floors were badly damaged, and a bedroom in a second-floor apartment was destroyed by the flames. The building was evacuated, and firefighters rescued six residents from the floors above the café.
A fire that started in a restaurant spread to the entire apartment building on Kastamonis Street in Nea Ionia
A fire that started in a café spread to the entire apartment building on Kastamonis Street in Nea Ionia
A fire that started in a café spread to the entire apartment building on Kastamonis Street in Nea Ionia
Residents Describe the Night
“The fire started in the café and hookah shop downstairs. All the apartments up to the third floor caught fire. I heard from a woman that there were three explosions in the shop,” one resident said. Another tenant said the fire had reached the third floor and that they could not breathe.
Speaking to ERT, a resident said he woke up in the middle of the night when his wife told him their balcony was already in flames. He described how the fire spread from the ground floor to the upper floors within moments, with flames entering the apartments.
Other residents also spoke of a loud bang just before the fire. One woman said she heard an explosion and, a few seconds later, saw flames outside her window. Within about half an hour, she said, the fire had engulfed almost the entire building.
Some tenants managed to escape on their own through the main entrance. Others, blocked by thick smoke, had to seek refuge on the roof, where firefighters reached them and led them to safety in neighboring areas.
A fire that started in a café spread to the entire apartment building on Kastamonis Street in NeaIonia
A fire that started in a café spread to the entire apartment building on Kastamonis Street in NeaIonia
Arson and Possible Links to Organized Crime
In the early stages, investigators also looked into whether the fire could have been an accident involving flammable materials or gas cylinders that may have been stored in the café. However, after putting out the fire, the Fire Service concluded that an accidental cause could be ruled out, especially since eyewitnesses had reported three consecutive explosions from the very beginning.
As part of the preliminary investigation, authorities are examining whether the incident is connected to earlier attacks on foreign-owned businesses in central Athens. They are also looking into the possibility that the order to set the fire came from inmates in prison.
Investigators are collecting and analyzing footage from security cameras across the wider area, and a request to lift the confidentiality of phone communications is expected.
The 2023 Shooting
Authorities are also taking into account a serious incident that occurred at the same café in the past. In February 2023, a shootout broke out at the shop, leaving a man dead. According to the investigation at the time, the victim had no involvement in the incident.
The Extortion Unit is continuing its investigation to fully clarify the circumstances of the fire and identify those responsible.
