Two men have died after becoming trapped in a fire that broke out in a residential apartment in Kallithea, a densely populated suburb of Athens, late on Friday evening, authorities said.

The victims, both approximately 35 years old, were found unconscious inside a first-floor apartment where the blaze erupted on Agamemnonos Street. According to preliminary information, the fire is believed to have started following an explosion involving a heating device, most likely a liquefied gas stove.

Firefighters managed to bring the fire under control shortly after it broke out. A total of 15 firefighters, supported by five fire engines and a specialized ladder truck, were deployed to the scene.

The two men, who were reported to be of Syrian origin, were transported by ambulances operated by Greece’s national emergency medical service to a nearby hospital.