A body was found inside a car on Tuesday as firefighters battled a wildfire near Pikermi, east of Athens, authorities said.
The fire broke out at around 3:30 p.m. local time between the areas of Imeros Pefkos and Etos Steko in Pikermi, in the Attica region.
Firefighters responding to the blaze found a person inside a passenger car who had died and whose identity has not yet been idendified.
According to Rafina-Pikermi Deputy Mayor Charalambos Zafeiropoulos, who spoke to SKAI, the fire started in the vehicle, which was engulfed in flames. The body was found in the passenger seat, with the man apparently having slumped over.
Authorities are investigating the circumstances in which the vehicle caught fire and the exact cause of death. A preliminary investigation is being conducted by the Fire Service’s Directorate for Arson Crimes.
A 112 emergency alert was issued at 3:42 p.m. to warn people in the wider area.
A total of 121 firefighters, including volunteers and 36 vehicles, were deployed to tackle the fire. The operation also included 23 Romanian firefighters with five vehicles and 18 French firefighters with three vehicles, who are in Greece as part of a European firefighter pre-positioning programme.
Two aircraft and two helicopters were deployed periodically for aerial firefighting, while the Municipality of Spata provided water tankers.
The fire was brought under control within around 30 minutes, according to the latest update from the Fire Service, with crews remaining at the scene to complete the operation.
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