Minutes of sheer panic unfolded in Kallithea, Athens, shortly after 4 p.m., when a fire broke out on the ground floor of a two-story home on Agion Panton and Aristidis Streets. A 76-year-old woman, trapped inside with her husband, cried out from her balcony: “Help me — I’m burning! I’m burning!”
Passersby rushed to assist as thick smoke billowed from the building. In exclusive footage obtained by Newsit.gr, the woman can be seen desperately trying to jump from her balcony into the arms of volunteers gathered below.
“We broke down the door and saw heavy smoke — we couldn’t go upstairs to get her out. So we shouted for her to jump so she could survive,” said a deliveryman who happened to be passing by on his motorcycle and stopped to help.
He recounted how he heard cries for help while riding along Agion Panton Street. Seeing the woman on the balcony, engulfed by smoke and flames, he immediately pulled over. An officer was already on scene, and together with another bystander, they forced open a door — only to find the interior fully consumed by fire.
“We realized we couldn’t go any further — flames were everywhere. She was completely surrounded. More people gathered below, and we all urged her to jump. At first she refused, saying ‘No, I won’t jump.’ But eventually, she leapt — right onto us — and we managed to catch her safely. Moments later, the entire house burned to the ground.”
The woman’s husband had escaped separately through a rear door using his keys, emerging about 20–25 minutes later — much to the relief of onlookers who feared he’d perished inside. The deliveryman sustained minor injuries during the rescue: a mild sprain, a first-degree fracture, and a cut from broken glass. He was taken to hospital, as was the woman, who suffered respiratory distress and minor hand injuries but is reported to be in stable condition.