The 77-year-old woman killed in the gas explosion that leveled a building in Athens' Plaka district had been trying to arrange a combustion safety inspection roughly a month before the blast, Greek broadcaster ANT1 reported, as investigators narrow their focus to the internal gas system of the second-floor apartment where she lived.
According to ANT1, the woman — who lived with her partner in the unit where the explosion originated, and whose death was among six caused by the collapse — had reportedly been searching for a technician in August to conduct a combustion check and obtain the required inspection certificate.
The apartment held a gas-tightness certificate issued in February 2026.
The outlet reported she had sought the additional inspection specifically out of concern for the installation's safety, a check that could potentially have detected a leak.
Investigators have shifted their focus to the apartment's internal gas piping after determining the building's main gas supply line showed no signs of leakage.
Authorities are now examining the condition of individual pipe sections and fittings within the unit, with particular attention on the kitchen as the likely source of the leak.
Officials are also reviewing available certificates and any prior work carried out on the gas installation to reconstruct the exact sequence of events leading up to the explosion, which destroyed the building and caused significant structural damage to two neighboring properties, according to preliminary findings from a structural inspection released this week.