Greek authorities are treating an overnight fire that tore through a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Glyfada, in Athens’ southern suburbs, as a suspected arson attack after the remains of two small gas canisters were found at the scene.
The fire broke out at about 3:05am on Saturday 31 October at the A. Ismailos S.A. showroom for Mercedes-Benz and smart at 156 Vouliagmenis Avenue, on the corner of Sokratous Street, Proto Thema reported.
According to the Hellenic Fire Service’s official briefing, cited by Autoblog.gr, 33 firefighters with 12 vehicles and a specialised aerial ladder truck were sent to the blaze. Crews fought the flames for about two hours before bringing them under control, Kathimerini reported. Residents of a neighbouring apartment block were evacuated as a precaution.
Read more: Homicide Investigation Under Way After Man Shot Dead in Glyfada
Cars destroyed and roof burned
Reports on the damage differ slightly. News.gr said the roof of the building burned completely and two cars parked in front of the showroom were destroyed, while Zougla reported three used cars destroyed outside the showroom, with the heat damaging the front of a Mercedes G-Class behind the display window.
OK News reported that one of the burned vehicles was a car worth about €350,000 that was ready for delivery.
Explosion heard before the fire
Local residents said they heard an explosion before the fire started, and the remains of two gas canisters were found at the scene, according to police sources quoted by Eleftheros Kosmos. ANT1 News described the device as a makeshift incendiary mechanism of two gas canisters planted by unknown people.
The fire service’s arson investigators are working to establish where and how the fire started, and footage from the dealership’s security cameras and those of nearby businesses is being examined. The case has been taken over by the police’s State Security Division (Kratiki Asfaleia), ANT1 reported.
No official conclusion on the cause has been announced, and no group has claimed responsibility. According to OK News and Pronews, investigators are examining whether people from the anti-authoritarian scene were behind the attack, and whether it is linked to an arson attack on another car dealership on Acharnon Street a few days earlier. OK News reported that police believe the attacks may be tied to the second anniversary of the death of a 36-year-old anarchist in an apartment explosion in Ambelokipi. Police have not confirmed this.
Dealership sale under way
A. Ismailos has been an authorised Mercedes-Benz dealer and repairer in Attica since 1990. The fire came weeks after Petros Petropoulos S.A. announced on 6 October that it had signed a memorandum to acquire the company’s vehicle sales, repair and servicing business, in a deal valued at about €21 million, Autoblog.gr reported.
The attack comes a month after police began investigating a suspected arson at a cafe in Nea Ionia.
