A 6-month-old baby boy who died in the arms of his mother, as she tried to escape, was the son of one of the firemen fighting against the raging flames in Attica.
Both mother and son were found in the sea, five hours after the blaze reached Mati, the area in East Attica most hit by the fires.
Τhe mother was severely injured and remains in critical condition, however, their baby boy lost his life.
The chairman of the Fire Fighters Union Dimitris Stathopoulos told ANT1 news that the father left his baby and wife behind when he was called in the line of duty.
“He left his home to extinguish the fires. He left his family behind. His baby is among the victims, his wife is now in critical condition.” Stathopoulos said.
“It is a tragedy and you can just imagine the drama of the firefighter right now,” he added.
The baby’s grandmother Maria Dionysioti spoke with The Guardian newspaper and said in just 48 hours, she had lost her baby grandson, two of her cousins, their children and all of her worldly possessions; meanwhile, her daughter Margarita was left fighting for her life.
“My grandson was six-months-old, he hadn’t even been baptised. He died in Margarita’s arms and now she is in intensive care,” Maria Dionysoti, 67, told surrounded by relatives and friends at Evangelismos hospital. “We found them both in the sea about five hours after the fires descended on Mati.”
*Source: The Guardian
