Five evacuated from Athens hotel fire

According to a preliminary investigation, the fire at the Athenaeum Palace broke out in a small first-floor kitchen but the amount of smoke gave the impression that it was at the sixth floor, ANA said.

Two people were evacuated from a stairwell and three from a balcony, it said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The fire department said it had dispatched 12 fire engines and more than 30 firefighters to the scene, on one of the capital's busiest highways.

jph/gd