A fire, probably accidental, destroyed "
20 tons of bed linen and blankets
" intended for Ukraine on Thursday in a stadium in Piraeus, a major port near Athens, according to humanitarian aid organizers.
The fire destroyed approximately “
20 tons of bed linen and blankets (...);
fortunately the pharmaceutical and food products collected were not damaged
,” Irina Bortnyk, head of humanitarian aid, told AFP.
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The fire, which caused a thick cloud of smoke but did not cause any injuries, broke out around 10 a.m. local time (7 a.m. GMT) in the stadium courtyard on Thursday.
An investigation was opened to establish the causes of the fire, which was extinguished, according to an official from the press office of the fire brigade.
“We hope the fire was accidental”
The association "Oli mazi mporoume" ("all together, we can achieve it") began to collect humanitarian aid in the "Peace and Friendship Stadium", in Piraeus, at the beginning of the war in Ukraine .
The aid comes from private initiatives on the part of companies, associations, schools or individuals.
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“
People come here daily to give.
I'm sorry to see the destruction of donations.
(…)
We hope that the fire was accidental
,” Yannis Spanolios, president of “Oli mazi mporoume,” told AFP.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Greece has received more than 30,000 Ukrainian refugees, including 8,000 minors, according to figures from the Greek Ministry of Migration.
