Major fire near Athens injures at least two, prompts evacuations

A fire at a business in Aspropyrgos sent black smoke over northwest Athens, injured 11 people and forced residents near Megaridos Street to evacuate through Greece’s 112 alert system. The blaze broke out around 8 a.m. at a site dealing with spare parts, scrap materials and logistics at the junction of Megaridos and Chiou streets, about 15 kilometers northwest of central Athens.

Greek fire brigade crews sent roughly 75 firefighters, backed by 20 engines, support vehicles and a helicopter, to contain the flames before they spread farther through the industrial zone. One man was rescued after suffering severe injuries, and another man with serious burns was taken to hospital earlier in the day. Greece’s public broadcaster ERT later said four additional people were receiving treatment, while later hospital tallies put the number of injured at 11, including three in serious condition.

The response was shaped by the site itself. Aspropyrgos sits on the Thriasio Plain and is packed with warehouses, recycling businesses, logistics operators and the Aspropyrgos refinery, making any large fire there a direct risk to workers, nearby buildings and transport routes. Emergency alerts sent through the 112 GR-Alert system told people on Megaridos Street to move toward the center of the city via Agiou Georgiou Street, while crews blocked access to nearby roads and worked around the perimeter to keep the blaze from jumping to adjacent premises.

Concern briefly centered on a truck at the site carrying a fuel or propane tank, but fire officials later found it was empty. That detail eased fears of an explosion, but it did not remove the wider hazard posed by dense smoke, damaged structures and the possibility of hidden hot spots inside an industrial yard full of combustible material.

The fire was contained shortly before 1:30 p.m., but the damage underscored how quickly a single industrial blaze near Athens can turn into a public safety emergency. With the cause still not immediately known, the incident added to the pressure on Greek civil-protection authorities already managing repeated fire emergencies during the country’s hot, dry summer season.