Μake us preferred on Google Greek authorities have arrested a 34-year-old woman and her two teenage daughters following a fire in western Athens that killed two firefighters on Saturday, with investigators examining whether discarded ashes from a wood-burning stove started the blaze. The woman and her daughters, ages 13 and 16, were taken to court in Athens shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15. Authorities are also searching for the woman’s 44-year-old husband. The arrests followed an investigation into Saturday’s fire at a building in Zefyri, where a 23-year-old firefighter and his 44-year-old colleague were killed while battling the blaze.
According to preliminary findings by the fire service, the family, who lived on the building’s ground floor, allegedly disposed of ashes and other combustion residue from their wood stove in a stairwell. Investigators examining the scene found accumulated garbage, plastic and other flammable materials in the building. The evidence gathered so far suggests that the discarded stove residue was linked to the outbreak of the fire, although the investigation remains ongoing.
The fire service has also ordered an internal administrative inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Investigators Examine How the Two Firefighters Became Trapped
Investigators are considering two possible explanations for the deaths of the firefighters, who became trapped in the building’s basement. They may have slipped on the stairs and suffered fatal injuries, or lost their bearings in the thick smoke and poor visibility.
The second possibility is considered more likely, according to Greek public broadcaster ERT, which reported that the firefighters may have died from smoke inhalation after their breathing apparatus ran out of air.
Konstantinos Papantonis, president of a national firefighters’ union, described the basement as a cramped space reached by a winding staircase strewn with garbage. He also raised concerns about longstanding shortages of personnel and equipment in the fire service.
Firefighter, 23, Had Graduated Just Two Months Earlier
The fire broke out shortly after 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, on Katsantoni Street in Zefyri, a suburb of Athens. Twenty firefighters from three stations responded, supported by a team from the fire service’s special disaster response unit, EMAK.
Three firefighters became trapped inside the building while fighting the blaze. Two were found unconscious and taken to Attikon Hospital, where they were pronounced dead. The third, a 43-year-old firefighter who had been on the ground floor, managed to escape. He was admitted to the 251 Air Force General Hospital suffering from severe shock but is not in danger.
The youngest victim, 23, had graduated from the Firefighters Academy in Ptolemaida just two months earlier. The other firefighter killed was 44.
The fire service has launched an internal inquiry into the circumstances of their deaths, while investigators continue to establish what caused the blaze.
