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Tragedy in Kolonos: Couple Found Dead After Apartment Fire
🇬🇷 Greece /Conflict & Security

Tragedy in Kolonos: Couple Found Dead After Apartment Fire

From Ta Nea · (1d ago) Greek Critical tone

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • A fire in Kolonos, Athens, resulted in the deaths of a couple in their 50s, with initial indications pointing to a possible LPG leak.
  • Neighbors reported hearing shouts of distress, "Help, I'm suffocating," from the apartment shortly before the fire erupted.
  • Authorities are investigating all potential causes for the tragedy, which caused extensive damage to the building.

A tragic incident unfolded in Kolonos, Athens, early Saturday morning, leaving a couple in their 50s dead after a fire engulfed their third-floor apartment. The blaze, believed to have originated from a suspected LPG leak, has sent shockwaves through the local community.

Help, I'm suffocating

— WomanThe distressed cries heard by neighbors from the apartment before the fire escalated.

Disturbing accounts from neighbors paint a grim picture of the final moments. Residents reported hearing intense arguments and sounds of objects breaking from the apartment shortly before flames erupted. Most chillingly, the woman was heard crying out, "Help, I'm suffocating," a desperate plea that firefighters heard upon entering the smoke-filled residence. The couple was found lifeless amidst the destruction.

We heard voices around 5:00 in the morning and an argument between the man and the woman, while things were heard breaking. A woman was banging on the door and shouting 'help, I'm suffocating'.

— ResidentA neighbor describing the sounds heard from the apartment prior to the fire.

The apartment reportedly belongs to an elderly woman who resides in a nursing home, with her son and his partner occupying the unit. While the exact cause of the fire is under investigation, authorities are exploring all possibilities. The incident has caused significant damage to the building, and the community is left grappling with the loss and the unanswered questions surrounding this devastating event.

The banging and shouting continued and then I smelled the fire. I got out of bed and left the house. I live in the next building, on the first floor. Around 5:20 we realized something was happening. At 5:30 we were already outside and saw the fire had started from the right apartment on the 3rd floor and was spreading to the left.

— ResidentA neighbor recounting the sequence of events from hearing the commotion to witnessing the fire.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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