Nadia – Chalandri

The 65-year-old woman, who had worked for over 20 years at the business, attempted to protect herself by seeking shelter in the bathroom of her workplace. Unfortunately, she was burned alive when the fire reached Patima, Chalandri, on Monday afternoon. According to reports, the business caught fire after a pine cone was ejected from a burning tree.

With tears in their eyes, her colleagues left white flowers on the ashes to say goodbye to the hardworking and always-smiling Nadia, who left behind two children.

Her last words before she died

“This was the worst. We could have backed up and rebuilt the shop, but this was the worst,” said Ioannis Kosmas, a colleague of the 63-year-old, speaking to Star.

“I saw the fire and called, but a colleague didn’t answer, so I called her. I asked what was happening, and she said, ‘Thanasis, we’re burning, hang up.’ That was it; it was the end. She was scared… Maybe she thought, ‘If the fire doesn’t come inside, I might survive,'” another colleague recounted.

Sadly, the woman didn’t manage to escape the building. The workshop was completely destroyed, with all the equipment melted and part of the roof collapsed.

The 65-year-old woman came from Moldova to Greece for a better future

Late on Monday night (August 12), firefighters found her body in the bathroom of the building where the workshop was located, as she didn’t manage to escape the burning structure in time.

Throughout the night, the owner’s son, along with firefighters and some employees, searched for the unfortunate woman, who was eventually found trapped in the bathroom.

Today was supposed to be the start of her leave

The woman who tragically lost her life in Patima, Chalandri, was preparing to go on vacation. The fire that had started in Varnavas on Sunday eventually reached the workshop where she worked, trapping her inside.

Speaking to protothema.gr, the workshop owner confirmed that she had tried to seek refuge in the bathroom, where her charred body was later found.

Describing his last communication with her, he said, “She called me and said, ‘The place is on fire.’ I asked her, ‘What are you still doing there?’ and then the line was cut off.”

Eyewitness account from the workshop that burned down in Patima, Chalandri

Speaking to protothema.gr about what happened on Monday afternoon, the workshop owner said, “From Anapauseos Street and upwards, everything had stopped. The police wouldn’t let you pass. It was chaos here; they couldn’t be everywhere at once. I told them I needed to pass, but they said it was forbidden because of the chaos. When I arrived at 7:30 PM, the mayor of Chalandri happened to be there, and I told him, ‘Mayor, spray some water on the shop because it’s still burning.’ It was still burning inside. He did send a municipal water tanker, they put it out, and I left. The workers had left before the fire broke out. This woman wanted to leave that night and return to work on Monday. To avoid losing her wages, I told her to work the afternoon and leave, then come back on Monday.”

Regarding Nadia, he added, “She had lived in Greece for 25 years and spoke fluent Greek. She called me and said, ‘The place is on fire,’ and I asked her, ‘What are you still doing there?’ Then the line was cut off. I don’t know what happened. Communication was lost, and I thought she must have left. Who could have imagined everything would turn to ashes? Then I got a call that Nadia hadn’t gone home. That’s when I started to worry that something was wrong. We called the police, and they found her in the bathroom.”