Moments of tragedy in the battle against fire on Mt. Hymettus
On July 22nd, 1998, in the large catastrophic fire on Mt. Hymettus, the men who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty were: Chief Firefighter Dimitrios Maloukos, Chief Firefighter Themistoklis Mavraidis, Firefighter Aleksandros Diavolis and Volunteer Firefighter Dimitrios Karamolegkos.
On July 15th, 1999, in Voula, the battle with the flames claimed the lives of Firefighter Pavlos Skourtis and Firefighter Andreas Mposinas.
Every year, SPAY and the Volunteer Teams participate in the memorial service organised by the No8 Fire Station of Athens at the monument erected by the Municipality of Voula.
The Heroes of Mt. Hymettus
A great loss for the volunteer movement
Dimitris Karamolegkos had been a member of the Volunteer Forest Protection Team of the Municipality of Kaisariani since 1995 and was passionate about preserving the forest and the mountain. On the evening of the 22nd of July, he rushed to join the rest of the team on the front line of the fire, near the monastery of Kareas.
Dimitris’s dream was to become a firefighter. He exercised vigorously on a daily basis and was preparing to enlist in the Military Special Forces. Every summer, he spent countless hours on the mountain patrolling to prevent any fires and he participated in every mission of the volunteer team to assist the Fire Service. He was well-trained to suppress fires and in the excellent physical condition and his courage and self-sacrifice multiplied his strength.