Emergency crews responding to a fire in Pikermi, Attica, discovered the charred body of an unidentified man inside a car on Tuesday afternoon.
Preliminary information from the Fire Service indicates that the blaze may have originated in the vehicle before spreading to low vegetation between the areas of Imeros Pefkos and Etos Steko.
The car was stopped at the side of the road, with the man found leaning across the passenger seat.
Fire contained within 30 minutes
The fire broke out at 15:30, prompting the immediate mobilisation of a large firefighting force. An emergency alert was issued through the 112 service at 15:42 for people in the wider area.
A total of 121 firefighters, two ground teams from the 1st Special Unit for Forest Operations, volunteers and 36 vehicles were deployed.
The operation also involved 23 firefighters with five vehicles from Romania and 18 firefighters with three vehicles from France, as part of the European firefighters’ pre-positioning programme.
Two aircraft and two helicopters were deployed periodically, while the Municipality of Spata provided water tankers. According to the latest Fire Service update, the blaze was contained within 30 minutes.
Investigation into death and cause of fire
An investigation is under way to establish how the car caught fire and determine the exact cause of the man’s death.
The Fire Service’s Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes is conducting the preliminary investigation. Members of the East Attica Arson Crimes Investigation Unit and police officers were also dispatched to the scene.
