The firefighting operation at an abandoned building in Zefiri, in the municipality of Fyli, on Saturday at noon, as two firefighters, aged 23 and 44, lost their lives when a section of the building they were working on collapsed. Another firefighter was injured in the incident.
Authorities are investigating whether the two men died of asphyxiation, due to smoke and the conditions inside the burning building, or if they were crushed by the collapsing structural materials.
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The fire broke out in an abandoned building on Katsantoni Street, in the municipality of Fyli, with the Fire Department’s Operations Center being notified at approximately 11:40 a.m. Twenty firefighters with six vehicles from the 10th, 6th, and 12th Athens Fire Stations, as well as personnel from the 1st Special Rescue Unit (EMAK), were dispatched to the scene.
During the firefighting operation, and while the firefighters were operating inside the abandoned building, a section of it collapsed, triggering an emergency response to rescue their colleagues.
Two of the firefighters were initially pulled out unconscious and taken by an EKAB ambulance to Attiko Hospital. Shortly afterward, a third firefighter was pulled out, injured.
The causes of the fire, as well as the circumstances that led to the collapse of part of the building, remain under investigation.
To this end, the Athens Arson Crimes Investigation Unit has been mobilized, while crucial evidence is also expected to emerge from the investigation into the exact circumstances of the two firefighters’ deaths.
“Today, the Fire Department family mourns two of its own who lost their lives in the line of duty,” said Evangelos Tournas, Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, in a statement. “My thoughts are with their families and loved ones. I offer them my deepest and most sincere condolences from the bottom of my heart.”
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“I wish their colleague, who was taken to the hospital, a speedy and full recovery,” the minister also said.
The Fire Department’s statement:
“Today is an extremely difficult day for the Fire Department. Two more of our officers lost their lives while responding to a fire that broke out in a building on Katsantoni Street in the Fyli area of Attica.
The two firefighters heroically gave their lives in the line of duty while faithfully carrying out their mission to protect the lives and property of citizens, as well as the natural environment.
The entire senior leadership of the Fire Department expresses its deep sorrow and sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of our deceased colleagues.
A sworn administrative investigation will be conducted into the causes and circumstances of the accident.
By order of the Chief of the Fire Department, all flags of our Services will fly at half-mast as a sign of mourning. Our thoughts are with them.”
See photos from the scene:
Source: Proto Thema
