Firefighters have brought a fire at the former Badminton Theater in Athens' Metropolitan Park of Goudi under partial control, with crews continuing to contain the blaze within the building and no indication it will spread to surrounding areas, the fire department has said.
The fire broke out shortly after 8 p.m. Sunday. Part of the building's roof has collapsed, though there have been no reports of anyone trapped inside, according to authorities.
A large firefighting force remains on scene, including 38 firefighters, 10 water tanker vehicles, two aerial ladder trucks, one breathing apparatus support vehicle and six auxiliary vehicles. Volunteer firefighters and water tankers from the municipalities of Athens, Zografou and Papagou-Cholargos are assisting in the operation.
Greece's National Coordination Center for Operations and Crisis Management (ESKEDIK) has maintained continuous aerial surveillance of the fire using drone-mounted optical and thermal cameras throughout the incident.
A team from the Athens Fire Investigation Directorate has been dispatched to determine the cause of the blaze.
A 112 emergency alert was issued, advising residents in the surrounding area to take precautionary measures. Police also deployed in force to manage traffic and facilitate firefighting operations.
Photos obtained by iefimerida.gr show the fire's early stages, as smoke first became visible from the building around 8 p.m., with flames emerging from the interior shortly afterward as fire crews arrived on scene.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.