Galery

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A man, an old woman and a child were found dead after the extinction of a fire in a flat in the suburb of Koridelio in Thessaloniki.

The fire fighters have taken two more people out of the burning premises whereas another occupant of the house was able to get out alone before the arrival of the fire service.

The three survivors have severe burns and they are currently undergoing treatment in a Thessaloniki hospital.

The fire fighting involved 20 fire fighters and 7 fire engines. The ​​60-square-metre flat was on the top floor and under a tiled roof.

Referring to sources the local information website seleo.gr reports that the fire had started when the grandfather of the family had poured some petrol over his body, setting himself on fire. According to the article, the man suffered from a mental disease and he had been treated in a psychiatric hospital for a short while.

During the investigation, members of the fire services found remains of petrol in the flat and noticed the heavy smell of the fuel in the air.

So far, there has been no official information about the causes of the fire before which a number of fires had also already broken out in the region of Thessaloniki. Just a month ago, the members of a family were able to save themselves at the last moment from a fire that broke out in their house in the same suburb. In early December, a 13-year-old girl died from poisonous gases at her house, emitted from a charcoal-pan used by her mother for heating.

There have been similar incidents in Athens and other regions of Greece, the majority of them being caused by homemade fireplaces and heating "appliances". Many Greeks resort to such means that they have to hand due to the high cost of heating fuel.

At the same time, the combustion of wood and, mostly, of unsuitable items is causing a serious increase in air pollution in Athens and Thessaloniki. In order to prevent the air from filling with smoke on days when weather conditions favour the formation of dangerous smog the government has adopted a decision to reduce the price of electricity by 70%.

The measure will apply to all households with consumption of up to 2000 kWh, only during the specific days and for a period of four months. The difference, which, according to estimates, will reach 40 million euro annually, will be covered from the state budget.

According to another decision related to those households that pay a lower price per kilowatt-hour for financial reasons, the electricity during the specific days will be free.