Arson seen behind Athens hotel fire that injured three
A blaze that broke out in a hotel on Syngrou Avenue in the capital yesterday, injuring three people, appears to have been started on purpose, according to investigators.
Sources say that firefighters involved in putting out the blaze found jerrycans containing flammable liquid in a room on the second floor of the Athenaeum Palace.
The fire service dispatched 35 firefighters and 12 fire engines to the scene after being alerted to the blaze shortly before noon. A total of 20 people were evacuated from the building, including the three that were hospitalized. One of the three was on a ventilator, with medics expressing fears of irreversible damage to her lungs.
Amid signs that the fire was the result of arson, police have launched an investigation. One of the scenarios being considered, Kathimerini understands, is that the suspected arson was linked to a legal wrangle between the owner of the building and the hotel’s management.
