A large fire in Koropi, Greece, engulfed a facility of the Karamolegos bread maker, on January 14. The fire broke out at a warehouse, a two-floor metal building, that belonged to Apollonion Bread S.A., a Karamolegos Group company, and completely burned down. The fire then quickly spread to warehouses and offices of neighboring factories, local news outlets report.
The fire started in the raw materials storage area, while the factory was in operation, at around 5:45 pm. Operations at the Karamolegos factory continued without interruption.
The Fire Department deployed 50 firefighters who put out the fire with 14 vehicles, further assisted by volunteers and water tankers. No victims were reported, as everyone was evacuated safely. “Fortunately, it was a great blessing that no one was inside, everyone got out. The fire department arrived immediately. I really thank them and all our people, who ran to put out the fire,” lifo.gr quotes Manolis Karamolegos, owner of the factory.
The traffic was stopped while the firefighters put out the fire, and safety measures were taken for passers-by to avoid the area.
“We express once again our sincere gratitude to the Fire Department and the volunteer forest firefighters for their immediate and effective intervention, as well as to our employees for the calmness and cooperation they demonstrated,” Karamolegos issued a statement on Tuesday night (Jan. 14).
The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
Karamolegos is one of the biggest bakeries in Greece. With over 500 employees, it operates a 15,000 sqm factory, producing 50,000 tons of bread per year and has 6 distribution centers. In 2022, it reported sales of EUR 132 million.
Photo: Karamolegos