Disabled teenager dies in Thessaloniki apartment fire

Firefighters in the northern port city of Thessaloniki recovered the body of a 16-year-old boy from an apartment fire on Tuesday, with local media reporting that the teenager had a physical disability that probably prevented him from escaping the blaze.

Initial investigations point to the fire being caused by a faulty electric radiator used by the teenager to warm his bedroom in the Natsina Street apartment during a cold snap in northern Greece.

The 16-year-old was at home with his two younger siblings – a middle-school girl and an elementary school-aged boy who were following online classes for school. Their parents were away, police investigators said, though local news website Voria said that the children were being looked after by an aunt who had briefly stepped out of the flat when the blaze started.

Voria reported that the aunt was able to get the two younger children out of the apartment and tried to get help for their brother, but the fire had spread.

It took four trucks and 12 firefighters to evacuate the building and bring the blaze under control.