Firefighters contain tire and rubbish blaze in Rentis after emergency 112 alert

Outbreak at industrial plot in Rentis

On the afternoon of Friday, 18 September 2026, a fire broke out on an outdoor plot in Agios Ioannis Rentis, an area located within the Piraeus regional unit near Kifisou Avenue. The Operations Center of the Hellenic Fire Service received the first emergency notification at approximately 14:45. The flames started at the intersection of Stratigou Makrygianni and 28th October streets, where large quantities of discarded garbage, rubber tires, wooden pallets, construction rubble, and discarded mattresses had accumulated over dry grass. Dense black smoke formed over the site within minutes of the outbreak, drifting across local neighbourhoods and toward the nearby National Road. Firefighters identified immediate risks of the fire jumping to adjacent vacant parcels covered in dry uncleaned vegetation, threatening nearby commercial buildings and storage warehouses.

Emergency alert and tactical deployment

At 15:00, approximately fifteen minutes after the initial alert, authorities issued a 112 emergency broadcast to residents throughout the wider Rentis and Piraeus area. The alert informed residents that smoke plumes were moving directly into their vicinity, urging everyone to stay indoors and ensure all doors and windows remained tightly shut. The Hellenic Police established traffic cordons around surrounding avenues and local access roads to maintain emergency corridors for arriving units. The initial fire response of 6 firefighters and two vehicles was reinforced as conditions deteriorated on the ground. The deployment rose to 12 firefighters with four fire engines and a specialized articulated boom vehicle, before reaching 18 firefighters across seven service vehicles, accompanied by municipal water tankers from the Rentis local authority and civil protection volunteers.

Containment and arson inquiry

By late afternoon, emergency personnel stopped the forward advance of the flames toward surrounding property boundaries and reduced the intensity of the smoke plume. Hellenic Fire Service Deputy Spokesperson Giannis Artopios spoke to public broadcaster ERT regarding the progress of the operation, noting that conditions had improved significantly following 16:00.

Right now it is in a more controlled state.

Artopios stated that the dark, suffocating smoke was caused primarily by burning tires, mattresses, and wooden pallets packed together across the open ground. Fire crews spent the remainder of the afternoon extinguishing scattered hotspots and dampening down a small remaining front to eliminate rekindling hazards. By 20:49 on Friday evening, fire officials confirmed that the perimeter of the blaze was completely contained. The Piraeus Arson Crimes Investigation Department opened an official inquiry to establish the origin of the fire and determine whether criminal arson or negligence caused the initial ignition.