TOXIC CLOUD OVER ATHENS - Suspect for fire at Aspropyrgos recycling plant to face charges

A fire which began at a recycling plant in Aspropyrgos (in the Nea Zoi area) last Saturday and which has been burning uncontrollably for the past few days has spread a cloud of toxic fumes over all of Athens. Authorities claim they have arrested a 34-year-old man, who was a temporary supervisor at the recycling company, and that he is going to be charged with violating environmental protection legislation. The 46-year-old managing director of the company, is also going to face the same charges, but he is still at large and wanted by the police.

When the fire broke out at midday on Saturday the Fire Brigade sent about 100 fire fighters and 22 vehicles to the scene in order to tackle the fire (including volunteers and local authorities), and yet the blaze has still not been brought under control.

Environmental groups are complaining that the fire caused a toxic cloud that enveloped Athens on account of the recycling materials that were on-site, (such as toxic chemicals, including dioxins, etc.).

On their part, authorities say that an investigation has been launched in order to determine the cause of the fire. Preliminary reports indicate that there were some items at the scene that were not authorized to be recycled (such as oil cans, tires and medicine packages). Also, the company does not appear to have taken the necessary fire protection measures.