A resident of the apartment building targeted in the arson attack in Thessaloniki — which claimed one woman’s life — has given a harrowing firsthand account of the night’s events. Giorgos Papadopoulos, who was treated at Hippokration Hospital and later discharged, described the explosions, the suffocating smoke, and the desperate efforts to save the daughter of the victim.
Arson attack in Thessaloniki: “We’re waiting for the perpetrators to be found”
Speaking to ERTnews on the program Weekend from 5, Giorgos Papadopoulos said that residents are waiting for the case to be solved, while repair work on the building has already begun.
“We’re waiting for the perpetrators to be found. Restoration has already started. But the fact that a human life was lost overshadows everything. My deepest condolences to her family. We’re trying to return to our daily lives as best we can, but it was a tragic and shocking event,” he said.
“I heard the explosion and the stairwell turned into a chimney”
Recounting what happened on the night of the attack, the resident said he came downstairs when he heard the noise and saw a car engulfed in flames.
“I didn’t risk going further outside because I was afraid there might be another explosion. I went straight back up to my apartment, and within a minute or two, the second explosion went off. Doors and windows shattered, and the stairwell turned into a chimney,” he said.
As he described it, smoke immediately filled the entire building, creating a suffocating atmosphere. “You couldn’t breathe. You immediately felt a burning sensation in your chest,” he said.
The rescue of Afroditi Nestoras
He also described the moments when Afroditi Nestoras, the victim’s daughter, managed to reach their apartment while desperately searching for a way out. “Mrs. Afroditi had made her way upstairs, was looking for a door, and ended up entering our apartment. I found her on the balcony, on the verge of fainting and in a state of shock. We tried to bring her around and I called on the rescuers to come up and take her,” he said.
According to him, the young woman had burns on her hands and feet, and once she regained consciousness, she kept asking about her parents.
“There had been no prior threats”
Reflecting on the neighborhood and the building, Giorgos Papadopoulos stressed that residents had never previously noticed any threats or incidents that might have foreshadowed such an attack.
“We hadn’t received any threatening message or experienced any other incident. It’s a residential neighborhood with a few small shops. Nothing had come to our attention,” he concluded.
