The major fire that broke out this morning at a business in Aspropyrgos has been contained, after prompting a large Fire Service response and causing concern among workers and local residents. The fire broke out at around 8:00 a.m. at a business premises at the junction of Megaridos and Chiou streets.
According to information cited by Kathimerini, the fire is believed to have been caused by the explosion of an LPG cylinder and linked to a spark from welding work being carried out by two workers. The two workers, along with another employee, are being treated in hospital intubated.
After the fire broke out, people from nearby businesses rushed to the scene to see what had happened. A second explosion then occurred, possibly in a tanker containing propane residue that had been brought to the repair shop for suspension work. The findings of the West Attica Arson Crimes Investigation Unit are still pending.
An Arson Crimes Investigation Unit is looking into the cause of the fire.
The West Attica Labour Centre has complained, according to News24/7, that there are serious safety shortcomings and inadequate state inspections at workplaces in the Aspropyrgos industrial zone. According to Stavros Christidis, employers are operating their premises like an “unguarded field,” without adequate protection for workers.
The Labour Centre also claims that, although the fire was still in progress and an emergency alert had been sent via 112, businesses were not evacuated in time. Instead, it alleges, employees continued working, and members of the Labour Centre’s board had to go to the site to remove them.
A total of 11 workers have been transferred to hospitals with burns or respiratory problems: six to Thriasio Hospital and five to Attikon Hospital.
Sources: Κathimerini, Νews24/7
What is fyi.news?
