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The workers are protesting about the conditions at the site.
A fire broke out last Saturday at FODSA in the recyclable materials that are gathered in the area. The Fire Department immediately rushed to the scene with two vehicles and together with the Municipality’s machinery managed to contain the fire.
Regarding the difficult operation, the Commander of the Fire Services Administration of the Prefecture of Zakynthos, Konstantinos Tsiopos, noted: “Two of our vehicles had to go in order to prevent all the garbage from catching fire. The site was next to the airport and other problems would arise. Present at the extinguishing operation were the Mayor and the Head of the Cleaning Department D. Turkakis and the Civil Protection Officer of the Municipality N. Arvanitakis. They brought two water carriers and two earthmoving machines. We separated the burnt from the unburnt because if they all caught fire, we would have a problem. The mobilization was immediate. As long as there is collected garbage, it creates a problem and is a flammable source. Garbage does not go extinguish with water. Landfilling is needed”
He added that it would be wise to have security at the site and have a water vehicle readily available if needed. “In order not to create a problem for me, there should be constant guarding and a vehicle with water at the scene, so as to rule out the possibility of someone going to start a fire.”
For the causes of the fire, a preliminary investigation is being conducted by the Investigative Department of the Fire Department. Finally, the Commander noted that 1/10 of the accumulated materials were burnt.
For his part, after the incident, the president of the Union of Cleaning Workers, Spyros Hariatis, emphasized that the situation at FODSA is tragic and noted that there has been no care for fire protection for so long. “It’s an abandoned space and all the bulky things are gathered there without any guarding. There is no water and it is logical that at some point this place will catch fire. Since there is no guard and no one predicts what might happen. Thousands of tons are accumulated daily in the area. We had filed a complaint with the fire department 2-3 months ago and requested that there be a water tanker in case something happens, because there is no guard and someone can cause a fire by negligence. There is no fire extinguisher or water. The building and the exterior are abandoned. The grass is uncut and in general the situation is third world. This is the reality”.
He also emphasized that whoever wants to throw garbage in the area undisturbed can and asked to put an end to this situation. “There is a game of interests here. The Municipality says that it does not own the building, where the Regional Offices say they do own it and is under council’s responsibility. He should put people in charge. The place is open 24 hours a day. Citizens come in and out every day and throw garbage. So you understand that if a cigarette falls on nylon the fire will break out in record time.”
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Source in Greek and photos https://www.imerazante.gr/
Main feature photo:- https://www.ertnews.gr/
