Psychiatric hospital staff sent repeated warnings about patient suspected of deadly blaze

A psychiatric patient who is believed to have started a deadly fire Friday has been the subject of numerous complaints by staff at Dafni Psychiatric Hospital.

The fire started on the ground floor in a ward reserved for the facility’s 17 most dangerous patients. Three patients died and two suffered smoke inhalation.

Nikos Panagoulis, who represents the staff at the hospital, told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency Friday that 30 reports have been sent to the Health Ministry, judicial authorities and the hospital’s management regarding the patient who is believed to have started the blaze. He is also said to have killed another patient in May.

“We expected something to be done,” Panagoulis said in reference to repeated calls for the patient to be kept apart from others. “But no one took an interest in finding a solution.”