One of the three critically injured individuals succumbed to their injuries early Sunday morning (12 July 2026) at KAT Hospital in Athens, following a devastating double explosion and fire at a heavy-vehicle workshop in Aspropyrgos, western Attica.
In total, 11 people were injured in the incident. Three sustained severe burns and required intubation. Two of them had been transferred to KAT Hospital; one died early Sunday. The third remains in critical condition at G. Gennimatas Hospital, suffering extensive full-body burns.
Initial reports incorrectly identified the site as an auto parts business. Authorities have since confirmed it was a truck repair workshop.
The Double Explosion
According to preliminary findings by the Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes (DAEE), the disaster unfolded in two stages. The first explosion is believed to have been triggered by the ignition of a flammable gas mixture—likely caused by a leak from a propane or acetylene cylinder. Investigators report that the ignition occurred when a worker lit a cigarette with a lighter inside the facility. A video recording reportedly captures him saying: “I lit one cigarette—and then everything caught fire.”
The resulting fire spread rapidly to an adjacent area where a tanker truck containing propane was parked. DAEE’s assessment states that intense heat caused the tanker to rupture, leading to a second, significantly more powerful explosion due to the sudden release and combustion of propane.
Safety Oversight Under Scrutiny
The investigation is now focusing on fire safety compliance at the workshop. With a footprint of approximately 500 square metres, the facility falls under Greece’s low-risk business classification—and therefore is not legally required to hold an active fire protection certification. As such, inspections are conducted only on a sampling basis—a regulatory gap experts say exposes serious vulnerabilities in the current legal framework.
Fire service investigators are also reviewing the workshop’s submitted fire safety study to determine whether the presence and storage conditions of gas cylinders were properly declared.
The workshop owner maintains that all legally mandated safety measures were in place and asserts that no work was being carried out at the time of the explosion. He stated the tanker contained roughly 1.5–2 tonnes of propane and had been brought to the site the previous day for repairs related to a faulty valve.
Two individuals—the workshop owner and the operator of the propane tanker—have been arrested and face charges ranging from felony-level negligence to misdemeanour offences. Both have been released pending trial.