Fire engulfs vehicles in Patras apartment block, three residents rescued as flames reach first floor

What happened

A fire broke out around 4:00 a.m. on Sunday in the pilotis (ground-floor parking area) of an apartment building on Ilias Street, near Omonia Square in Patras. The blaze began in a parked motorcycle and quickly spread to two passenger cars, according to local media reports. Dense smoke filled the building, waking residents and forcing them to flee their apartments. Flames reached as high as the first floor of the building.

Residents say they were thrown from their beds when they heard explosions.

Emergency response

Fire service units arrived promptly and brought the fire under control. Firefighters evacuated three people from the building: two elderly residents and one person described as a patient. Paramedics at the scene provided first aid to the evacuees. Fire crews also used a ladder to check apartments on two floors to confirm no one remained inside. No injuries were reported.

The Fire Service immediately brought the fire under control, freeing two elderly people and one patient.

Possible cause

Multiple outlets report that initial indications point to arson. One eyewitness told flamis.gr that they saw a car circling the block shortly before an explosion was heard. The Fire Service is conducting an investigation and searching for traces, with arson considered the leading theory.

An eyewitness told flamis.gr that they saw a car doing laps around the block and then the explosion was heard.

Aftermath

The three evacuees were transferred to ambulances that had arrived at the scene, where they received first aid. No injuries were recorded. The fire was extinguished, and firefighters completed a sweep of the building to ensure all residents were accounted for. The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.