An explosion at 4:30 a.m. sparked a fire at a cafe in Nea Ionia, a northern suburb of Athens.
The fire broke out on the ground floor immediately after the explosion and quickly spread to the upper floors.
Firefighters rushed to the scene, while the building, which contains at least 16 apartments, was evacuated.
A total of 18 firefighters arrived with five fire engines and a specialized aerial ladder truck. They were called upon to rescue several people who had become trapped inside.
According to initial witness accounts, there were three explosions in total, after which a woman began shouting, “Fire!”
Another witness, a resident of the third floor, told MEGA: “My wife woke me up and told me there was a fire. The place was filled with smoke. The awning had caught fire and we couldn’t breathe, not even in the hallway. When my wife woke up, she heard explosions, but she thought they were garbage trucks on the streets. We started alerting other residents of the building.”
Another resident described waking in the middle of the night after his wife alerted him that the balcony was already engulfed in flames.
He said the fire spread with lightning speed from the ground floor to the upper stories, with flames entering the apartments.
Residents also reported that a powerful blast preceded the fire. One woman said she heard a loud explosion and, within seconds, saw flames outside her window.
She said that within about half an hour, the fire had engulfed almost the entire building.
Some residents managed to escape on their own through the main entrance, while others were forced to seek refuge on the roof because of the heavy smoke.
They were rescued from the roof with the help of firefighters, who led them safely to nearby areas.
It is noted that three years ago, the same cafe was the scene of a deadly shooting.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.
