“It was a wonderful retreat in the greenery and now you see nothing but darkness and ashes,” said Giannis Zouganelis.
The popular actor spoke to the newspaper On Time about the difficult moments he is experiencing after the total destruction, as his house in Varnava was completely burned down by the recent devastating fires in Attica.
“I also had a painting of great financial and emotional value, a work by Fotis Kontoglou, which I had left here because I believed it was protected.”
“I am shocked. It was a nice detached house with a garden filled with trees. It was completely burned from the first moment the fire broke out, but I learned about it yesterday because it was inaccessible. My paradise is gone; this was where Eleonora came and it was our retreat,” said Giannis Zouganelis, continuing:
“I had everything inside. It was an organized house that I built with the efforts of a lifetime. It also contained musical instruments, family photos, all beloved things that turned to ash. I had a painting of great financial and emotional value, a work by Fotis Kontoglou, which I had left here because I believed it was protected. That too turned to ash along with everything else,” added Giannis Zouganelis.
“It is a shame”
“It was a wonderful retreat in the greenery and now you see only darkness and ashes. What I want to emphasize is that I am not saddened by my own loss, but I feel sorrow for the losses of people who have struggled—some from their scarcity and others from their abundance—to create something and saw it destroyed in an instant. I am upset about how the Greek people are treated because those in power have never protected them.
“And what I cannot forgive is how they allowed the fire to enter the urban fabric. It is a shame. I do not see it personally. I hurt for all those who lost their homes. I am saddened. I am shocked.”
The destruction was complete. The only thing that was saved was the chapel of Saint Nicholas, which Giannis Zouganelis maintained on the property in memory of his father.
The actor and his family visited this particular house quite often.