The toll is heavy: eight people were killed and seven others injured in the fire that occurred during the night from Sunday to Monday in a retirement home in Barajevo, an outlying district of Belgrade.
“Unfortunately, eight people lost their sight in the fire. I must salute the rapid reaction of the security services who saved, or rather evacuated, 13 people. But first of all, I would like to offer my condolences to the families of the victims,” Nemanja Starovic, Minister of Labor, Veterans and Social Affairs, told local media. A previous report reported six dead and seven injured.
The cause of the fire remains to be established
“An investigation is underway, and I think that the prosecutor’s office will be able to give official information very quickly, during the day,” he added. According to Luka Causic, head of the emergency situations sector, 30 people were in the retirement home when the fire broke out at 3:30 a.m. local time. The injured were taken by emergency services and cared for by the Belgrade military hospital.
Early Monday, research was still underway to ensure that no fire remains, “and the cause of the fire will be established in the coming hours,” according to the official. Luka Causic added that the retirement home was isolated, but fire crews arrived quickly.
