Police Arrest Three Over Zefyri Fire That Killed Two Firefighters

by · Greek City Times

Police have arrested a 34-year-old woman and her two teenage daughters over the Zefyri fire in Attica, in which two firefighters died after becoming trapped in the basement of an abandoned building on Saturday.

The two firefighters, a 44-year-old sub-fire officer and a 23-year-old firefighter, became trapped inside the building on Katsantoni Street during the operation, the Hellenic Fire Service said. Crews pulled both out unconscious, and ambulances took them to Attikon hospital, where doctors were unable to save them.

The 23-year-old had been sworn in just two months earlier, as part of the latest class to graduate from the Fire Service school in Ptolemaida.

A third firefighter was injured and taken to the 251 Air Force General Hospital. He is reported to be out of danger.

Read more: Koropi School Pool Fumes Send 13 Pupils to Hospital

The Fire Service has ordered a sworn administrative inquiry into the deaths at the Zefyri fire. Its chief also ordered flags at all fire stations to fly at half-mast, saying the two men “fell heroically in the line of duty”.

What investigators are examining

The family lived in a ground-floor space of the building. According to reports, ash and other residue from a wood stove the family used for heating had been dumped in the building’s stairwell, and early indications link it to the outbreak of the fire. This has not been officially confirmed.

Officers arrested the woman and the two girls, aged 13 and 16, under the in-flagrante procedure. Police are still searching for the woman’s 44-year-old husband.

Arson investigators found rubbish, plastics and other material at the spot where the fire started, police said.

Authorities have not yet determined exactly how the two firefighters died. According to reports, the scenario considered most likely is that they became disoriented in dense smoke in the basement and could not find their way out. Investigators are also examining whether they fell from the stairs, whether their breathing apparatus ran out of air, and whether a partial collapse inside the building during the operation played a role.

Zefyri fire rescue operation

The fire broke out on Saturday morning in Zefyri, part of the Fyli municipality, in a building that once housed an aluminium workshop. Fire Service operations received the alert at about 11:40am local time.

Twenty firefighters with six vehicles from three Athens stations responded, along with the 1st EMAK special disaster unit. Colleagues repeatedly tried to reach the two men by radio without a response before they were found and brought out.

Condolences

President Konstantinos Tasoulas offered his condolences to the families of the two firefighters, their colleagues and the Fire Service.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the loss filled him with deep sorrow, paid tribute to the firefighters’ sacrifice and wished the injured firefighter a full recovery.

Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Evangelos Tournas offered his condolences, saying “the Fire Service family mourns two of its own people, who lost their lives in the line of duty”.

He also wished the injured firefighter a “speedy and full recovery”.

Union points to staff shortages

Konstantinos Papantonis, president of the Panhellenic Firefighters’ Union, said colleagues described a spiral staircase above a basement full of rubbish and flames. In their account, the two stepped onto it and fell through a gap.

“The space was very small and they could not get back out,” Papantonis said. However, he stressed that he could not confirm exactly how the accident happened.

He said firefighters had attended fires at the same abandoned building dozens of times. In addition, he accused the government of leaving the Fire Service short of staff, vehicles and personal protective equipment.

Greek City Times reported on 10 November that Greece had added 742 new vehicles to the service’s fleet.

Similarly, PASOK officials Michalis Chalaris and Andreas Poulas said six firefighters have now died on duty in 2026. They called for a full workplace health and safety system for the service’s operational staff.

Arson crime investigators are leading the preliminary investigation into the exact causes and circumstances of the Zefyri fire, police said.

Sources: ERT

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