Petroupoli: fire in an apartment on Ifaistou Street

A fire broke out on the morning of Thursday, August 13, in an apartment on Ifaistou Street in Petroupoli. According to reports, the fire had started in the kitchen of the home. The first bulletin was issued at 10:34 and the fire was announced as under control at 11:21. Twelve firefighters with four vehicles responded to the scene. No injuries were reported.

Crews managed to contain the fire without it spreading to neighbouring apartments. Rapid containment is critical in apartment-building fires, where smoke can spread through stairwells. Smoke spread is the most common cause of people being trapped in building incidents. Fires starting in kitchens are among the most frequent types of domestic incident. They are usually linked to cooking utensils left unattended on the stove.

Traffic police closed Ifaistou Street, from its junction with Pavlou Mela Street. The closure was made to allow fire vehicles to deploy. Traffic was restored after the operation was completed. The same incident was also covered by other local outlets in the area. The causes of the fire have not been officially announced.

The incident occurred on a day when the whole of Attica was under risk category 5, meaning extreme risk and a state of alert. Winds reached 70 kilometres per hour, with conditions described as hot, dry and windy. Under such conditions, every fire, even inside a building, is treated with heightened priority. The risk of it spreading to nearby vegetation is real. Attica’s fire crews were on general standby.

On the same day, for safety reasons, Petroupoli Grove remained closed from 06:00 to 24:00 and Tritsi Park for the entire 24-hour period. The decisions were taken as a precaution the previous day. Similar measures were applied in several municipalities of Attica. Closing groves and parks is a standard measure on category-5 days. The aim is to limit human presence in high-risk zones.

Western Attica accounts for a significant share of recent incidents. The previous day had seen a fire in Loutropyrgos, Megara, that triggered a 112 alert. In Chaidari, a fire broke out inside the Camp following an explosion in a power transformer. The incidents involve both forest and urban fires. Services remain on heightened alert.

Residents are urged not to leave cooking appliances unattended and to check their electrical installations. More from Western Attica on the Western Attica page. Fires can be reported on telephone number 199. Conditions are expected to remain difficult in the coming days. Attica Today will report on new incidents as they occur.