“On the whole, at the level of prevention and at the level of suppression, the state explained itself and was found to be lacking,” said the former Fire Chief Sotiris Terzoudis about the 2018 tragedy in Mati, apologizing before the Three-member Court of Misdemeanors.

Mr. Terzoudis, one of the six convicted in the first degree for the tragedy with 104 dead, apologized today before the judges of the appellate court.

The defendant focused on the responsibilities of other services and agencies, except the Fire Department, referring to the state’s poor or total lack of planning to avoid dangerous situations and protect citizens. He also emphasized that the Fire Service has a suppression role and that the level of prevention planning is crucial for the safety of lives.

There was no prevention. In 2007, after the fires in Ilia, organized preventive evacuation was instituted. What is important is the planning of the Municipalities for residential areas in the forest, such as in Mati. To create safe fireproof spaces, when there is no time for organized evacuation. I want to say to these people (including the relatives of the victims and the burn victims) that overall, at the level of prevention and repression, the state was weighed down and found wanting. “Unfortunately, the tragic events precede and the State follows, gasping,” said Mr. Terzoudis.

The defendant, referring to his own responsibilities, said that he had no involvement in the management of the tragic situation, saying that “the chief of the fire department is not an operational chief”.

He even emphasized that for the fire in Eastern Attica “nothing else could be done, speaking of a fire moved by the wind that cannot be caught if it is not attacked immediately”.

The position of the accused provoked a reaction from a relative of the victim who shouted: “A siren, Mr. Terzoudis, would be enough. A siren would save lives».

President: It is a sacred moment, the accused apologizes, do not interfere.

Erzoudis: Madam President, this is their situation…

At the start of his apology, Sotiris Terzoudis expressed his sorrow to the relatives of the 104 victims, describing the fire as a “national tragedy”, which, he said, “haunts me and will haunt me as long as I live”.

Referring to the management of the situation by other services and structures and their assistance in dealing with it, Mr. Terzoudis, obviously irritated, said: “Everyone, but everyone, the Coast Guard, the GES, the GEETHA, the head of the GEETHA, are considered reliable. The Fire Department is not reliable! Only I’m not trustworthy.”

Responding to a question from the president, the then head of the Fire Department said that on the evening in question the aerial vehicles could not operate due to the weather conditions and poor visibility on the front. He also said that desperate efforts were being made by the Joint Coordination Center for air and “there were none”.