Barajevo Fire: Police Tell Residents to Close Windows
The Emergency Situations Sector warned residents to stay indoors, and firefighters were still fighting the blaze at a hazardous materials warehouse on Zivka Stevanovica Zikice Street by noon.
A fire broke out this morning, October 7, at a hazardous materials warehouse in Barajevo, at around 9:30 a.m. The Emergency Situations Sector of Serbia’s Interior Ministry (MUP) warned residents of the Belgrade municipality to close their windows and avoid spending time outdoors.
The warning says the fire started in the municipality of Barajevo, at Zivka Stevanovica Zikice 72. The Sector told citizens:
“Close the windows and do not stay in open areas.”
Some outlets report a slightly softer wording, that people should avoid being outdoors, but the meaning of the warning is the same.
What is known about the building?
According to the portal 021, the warehouse stores disinfection, insecticide and rodent control products. Insajder reports that, according to the Serbian Business Registers Agency, the address is home to a company that specializes in selling and distributing cleaning products for municipal hygiene. The company’s name does not appear in the reports we read, so we do not give it.
Who is on the scene?
Tanjug reported that four fire trucks with 27 firefighter-rescuers were sent to the site. Ekspres writes that, according to earlier media reports, at least four trucks and more than 20 firefighters are fighting the fire. Informer says the trucks arrived immediately after the call and that the effort to contain and extinguish the blaze began.
An emergency medical team was also dispatched as a precaution. Insajder adds that City of Belgrade security staff are on the ground alongside firefighters and police, going from house to house, and that its reporter at the scene says unpleasant smells can be detected.
Are there any injuries?
That is not yet known. Una reports that it is still unclear whether anyone was hurt, while Vreme and Informer write that there are no official figures on injuries, the cause of the fire or material damage. Informer adds that the cause will be known only once the fire is fully out and police complete their on-site investigation.
Reports published up to around noon did not say the fire had been contained or extinguished. Until the Emergency Situations Sector releases new information, the advice to Barajevo residents stays the same: keep windows closed and do not linger outside.
