Factory fire shuts down highway
A big fire at a plastics factory in the northern Athens suburb of Metamorfossi has shut down the highway to Thessaloniki, as well as the Attiki Odos ring road, near its junction with the highway.
Early in the afternoon, the direction to the north was opened to traffic.
Tolls on the Attiki Odos open segment to the airport are free.
The Civil Protection Secretariat has een sending messages to locals through the 112 EU emergency number to stay at home, close the windows and ave their air conditioning recycle internal air, if they have that function available, in order to avoid inhaling the heavy smoke. Citizens that may face health issues are advised to call their doctor, or the 166 health system emergency number immediately.
The fire service says the blaze started at 7 a.m. Saturday and, because of the flammable materials inside, is expected to rage for hours. Some 50 firefighters, aided by volunteers and emergency response unit, are on the site.
There are no reports of anyone trapped inside.
