After a major fire and explosion in Aspropyrgos The scale of the destruction became known: the metal processing plant was virtually completely destroyed, and the fire damaged four more neighboring businesses.
Previously “Athens News” reported about the fire itself, the explosion, message 112, a propane tank on the territory of the enterprise and 11 victims. A detailed chronology of the incident is published here: Aspropyrgos: fire and explosion at a metal processing plant, 11 injured.
Now, after localizing the fire and the first inspections, the Greek media are clarifying the consequences: we are not just talking about serious damage, but complete destruction of the object. According to Protothemathe fire spread so quickly that, according to the first data of the fire service, damage was caused to four more businesses.
Condition of the victims
In total, after the fire and explosion, 11 people. Three of them remain intubated and are in serious condition.
Six victims were taken to the Θριάσιο hospital. Two of them were intubated, one received minor burns, one was transferred to a private clinic, and two more were discharged.
Five more people were taken to the Αττικόν hospital. One victim was intubated and had to be transferred to the CAT, the remaining four presented with breathing problems.
According to Documentoin the CAT there are two of the three intubated victims, men 41 and 54 years old. The 41-year-old is said to be undergoing surgery.
The investigation has been transferred to a special unit
The cause of the fire has not yet been officially announced. The investigation has been transferred to the Fire Service of Western Attica, the investigative unit of the fire service that deals with the causes of major fires and possible arson.
Investigators must determine where exactly the fire started, what materials were stored on the premises, whether fire safety standards were followed, how the evacuation of workers was organized and why the number of victims was so large.
Separately, it remains to be determined which businesses were damaged near the main facility and whether there were safe fire distances between them. Because if a fire from one yard easily spreads to four businesses around, this is no longer a “bad day”, but the planning of an industrial zone in the “maybe it won’t catch fire” genre.
Not just one burnt object
The case in Aspropyrgos again raises the question of the control of industrial and semi-industrial zones in Western Attica. In such areas, there may be warehouses, scrap sites, auto parts, metal processing, flammable materials, gas tanks and transport nearby.
The metal recycling business itself is a legal industry. But there has long been a shadow economy surrounding the market for scrap metal, especially copper, cables, auto parts and old cars. That is why after such fires the question should not be limited to the formula “the causes are being clarified.”
It is necessary to check not only the ignition point, but also the entire chain: licenses, the origin of the metal received, storage conditions, fire corridors, the presence of hazardous materials, labor conditions and actual control of the site.
Why is this important for residents?
Thick black smoke was visible from various parts of Attica, including central Athens. This means that such fires do not remain a problem only for the owner of the business or the workers on the premises.
When plastics, rubber, oils, cables, insulation, fuel residues and mixed waste burn, there is a risk of toxic smoke and air pollution. Residents of neighboring areas find themselves hostage to how strictly the state controls industrial facilities before the accident, and not after it.
The Athens News recently wrote about a similar problem after a fire at a processing plant in Oreokastro, when a toxic cloud reached Attica. Toxic cloud from the Oreokastro fire reaches Attica.
Main conclusion
New data on the Aspropyrgos fire shows that the consequences were worse than initial reports: A metal processing plant was completely destroyed, four more businesses were damaged, and three victims remain intubated.
Now the main question is not only where the fire started. The question is broader: how are such facilities controlled in Western Attica, what exactly is stored on them, who checks the safety conditions, and why another industrial fire again becomes a threat not only to workers, but to the entire region.
If the investigation is limited to one burned-out enterprise, the system will again pretend that the problem is local. But if one fire destroys a facility, affects four businesses and sends 11 people to hospitals, it is no longer local. This is a symptom that has simply flared up again.
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