Nea Ionia: flammable material scattered around café — investigation points to arson

The investigation into the major fire that engulfed a residential building in Nea Ionia, Athens, in the early hours of Monday, 28 September, has produced a new and significant development. According to ERT, the Arson Crimes Directorate found quantities of flammable material scattered at several points around the café where the flames are believed to have started — a discovery which, according to the same source, now steers the investigation toward deliberate arson.

As ProtoThema reports, the find was made during the in-depth sweep of the area around the café on Kastamonis street, where the fire started at around 04:25 in the morning. The suspicious material, found scattered at various points around the venue, is considered by investigators a key element reinforcing suspicions that the fire did not start accidentally.

Recall that the fire broke out at around 04:25 on Monday morning in a café (shisha bar) on the ground floor of the building and spread rapidly across three floors, mobilising 18 firefighters who evacuated residents. It is not the first time this venue has been at the centre of a serious incident: in February 2023, a shooting episode was recorded at the same café, in which a 37-year-old was fatally wounded.

The investigation continues intensively, while authorities are expected to clarify how the flammable material was spread around the venue and whether this development is linked to previous episodes that have marked this address.