Serres: Mystery with fires in temples – Suspicions of arson

Great damage was caused to two Holy Temples of the municipality of Visaltia, namely, the Church of Agios Athanasios Nigritas and the Church of the Three Hierarchs of Terpni, after fires that broke out inside them, reports the GRtimes.gr.

In the first case, on Saturday afternoon (2/7) shortly before Vespers, a fire broke out centered on the Temple and its Sanctuary I.N Agios Athanasios Nigritas with the damages being large and incalculable since the parish is of old construction.

In the second case, at the same time, i.e. before Vespers on Sunday (3/7), a fire broke out in exactly the same place of I.N. Three Hierarchs in Terpni. The positive thing, of course, is that it did not suffer similar damage to that of the church of Agios Athanasios and the church remains functional.

“The two fires in the same place are a coincidence,” says the mayor

“An investigation is still underway into the causes of the two fires, however we consider it to be a random event,” the mayor of Visaltia, Athanasios Maslarinos, tells GRTimes.

“In both cases, the fires broke out at the same time with a difference of one day, Saturday and Sunday, in the same place inside the churches, while the damage is great. Of course, in I.N. of Agios Athanasios are bigger” emphasizes Mr. Maslarinos.

“I.N. Three Hierarchs is liturgical, that of Agios Athanasios, not”

Father George spoke to GRTimes about the disasters and how the fire was noticed in the Holy Church of the Three Hierarchs, who in turn pointed out that the two fires are characterized as “accidental events” and that there is no suspicion of arson.

“The fire was noticed by the commissioner of the parish, in the afternoon just before Vespers, when he saw the smoke,” the father of the parish tells GRTimes, while regarding the damages he points out that “The iconostasis is the one that suffered destruction and must be replaced. Some wooden furniture was burned and some marbles were broken while all the hagiographies were also smoked, however our church remains liturgical and if not until Sunday, from Monday the liturgies will continue.”

Finally, regarding the fire in the church of Agios Athanasios, he said that “there the damage is very great, because the church is of old construction, it takes more time”.

The Fire Department’s investigations into the exact causes of the fires are continuing.

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