Two firefighters, aged 23 and 44, died and another was injured after part of a building collapsed during firefighting operations. The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon in Zefyr, in the municipality of Fyli, Greece.
The abandoned building was located on Katsantoni Street. Authorities received the call at around 11:40 and sent 20 firefighters with six vehicles from several Athens fire stations, as well as personnel from the Special Disaster Management Unit (EMAK).
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While the firefighters were working inside the building, part of it collapsed, trapping several personnel. Two were initially pulled unconscious from the rubble and taken by ambulance to a hospital in Attica. Rescue teams later pulled out another firefighter, who had been injured.
The exact cause of death of the two firefighters has not yet been determined. Authorities are investigating whether they suffocated from smoke and the difficult conditions inside the building, or were struck by building materials as it collapsed.
Experts from the Athens Fire Investigation Department have arrived at the scene to establish both the cause of the fire and the cause of the building’s collapse.
The incident has shaken Greece’s fire service. Evangelos Tournas, the minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, offered his condolences to the families of the two firefighters who lost their lives while on duty.
“Today, the family of the Fire Service mourns two of its members, who lost their lives in the line of duty,” the minister said. He also wished the injured firefighter a swift and full recovery.
