Blast in Greek capital damages buildings and leads to fire, injuring one person

ATHENS – One person was injured and several buildings were damaged by an explosion in central Athens that led to a fire early on Wednesday, officials and witnesses said.

One person has suffered burns and has been transferred to hospital, the head of workers at the National Centre for Emergency Care, Giorgos Mathiopoulos, told Skai TV.

The blast smashed windows and wrecked the facades of buildings along the major traffic artery of Syngrou Avenue, which links the city centre to the southern suburbs, while damaging buildings up to 200 metres away.

Debris littered the street a day after a severe snowstorm swept the capital, disrupting traffic and stranding thousands of people.

At least 18 firefighters used seven engines to battle a blaze at one building and have nearly brought it under control, the fire brigade said.

It was not immediately clear what triggered the blast or the fire, a fire brigade official said.

"We have a fire, there was a blast before that," said a fire brigade commander at the scene.

A fire brigade official told Skai TV:

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