“The fire officers who were there called for reinforcements and were outraged. Forces waited that never came. There was zero strength. We could see the desperation in each other’s eyes. The problem was the lack of strength,” Manolis Tsaliagos, an employee of the municipality of Rafina-Piquermio in the Department of Civil Protection, testified at the trial in the case of the tragedy in Mati.

As Mr. Tsaliagos testified, the complete absence of air assets during the critical hours was decisive for the fateful course of events.

Mr. Tsaliagos testified that he was the first person to be at the site of the deadly fire at Dau Pentelis and, as he pointed out, the first impression he had was that the fire had power and would not be extinguished that day: “I was in the operations center at the “Fortress” position. I detected smoke and radioed 199. I updated 16:39 to 16:40. I contacted the Center but received no response. I started with the car and notified the other cars, Rafina 1 and Rafina 3 – Rafina 2 was in the operations center – and water tanks to go to the scene, ”the witness testified, indicating that the means available at that time could not deal with the situation.

Chairman: What were the conditions at 17:30?

Witnesses: It was very windy.

chairman: In terms of smoke?

Witness: There was a lot of smoke and a lot of heat.

Chairman: The expert also showed that if people had been warned before 5:30 p.m., perhaps some would have been saved.

Witness: There was no notice. They are not easy to remove. Some didn’t want to leave. Of course, if they were notified and the removal started, things would be better. They were trying to do something… I can’t answer if removal was suggested, if that were better. Maybe it was better, but I’m not 100% sure.

chairman: Would you describe the fire as normal?

Witness: Unusual in temperature and wind strength.

chairman: You caught fire, what do you think didn’t happen?

Witness: We don’t have many cars. On the other hand, if there had been a fire during reforestation, the fire would not have developed and would not have reached Kokkino Limanaki and Mati. I believe that at five and a half past six, and not in forested areas, the fire could be localized. The “walking” of the fire was terrifying.

As the witness testified, realizing the situation, he from the first moment requested air assets that were not under his jurisdiction. “I said this on the radio in case any of the officers heard and repeated. I think if the antennas flew in the first quarter or quarter, everything would be easier. I saw the antenna around 17:20. I said to myself: “The planes have arrived, we are saved.” But he made a circle and left.

Responding to questions from victims’ defense counsel, Mr. Tsaliagos stressed that the forces involved were minimal. “It is impossible to erase this front with five cars. At the first stage, there are more of us than those who were in the fire department. From there, I don’t know what happened. The local officers called for reinforcements and were indignant. Forces waited that never came. There was zero strength. The officers begged like a child to give me a toy. So they also begged for power. We could see the desperation in each other’s eyes. The problem was the lack of power.”

The witness also testified of the people he rescued who, in complete confusion, tried to escape from the fire: “I saw a man who started the car, lowered the fuse and froze in the burning car. We had to break into the mosque to take him away. To save the Irish woman and put her in the car, I hung myself on a mirror,” he said.

Source: RES-IPE