Svrljig: fire at 'Trilord' furniture factory, workers evacuated, no injuries
Members of the Emergency Situations Sector contained the fire in the production hall with help from firefighters from Nis; the cause is unknown and the extent of damage is being assessed.
A fire that broke out at the “Trilord” furniture factory in Svrljig at around 9am on 9 May was contained by 23 members of the Emergency Situations Sector of the Ministry of the Interior, the Svrljig Fire and Rescue Unit says. The intervention used nine vehicles from Svrljig and Nis, and employees of the local public utility company JKSP Svrljig also took part in closing the fire front.
Three workers were on the premises when the fire broke out, two inside the production halls and one outside. All of them managed to evacuate in time and were not injured, according to a statement from the Interior Ministry in Nis. The “Trilord” factory employs more than seventy workers, who were on a break or had not yet arrived for the second shift on the day in question.
The fire spread quickly thanks to large quantities of foam and other highly flammable materials used in the production of upholstered furniture, the Fire and Rescue Unit says. Thick black smoke was visible from parts of Nis, prompting further intervention by the Nis fire brigade.
Residents of Svrljig also helped fight the fire, using available means to assist firefighting crews in preventing the flames from spreading to neighbouring buildings, local media report. Before further crews arrived from Nis, the situation was critical because of the combination of foam, lacquers and adhesives in the production hall.
According to the Interior Ministry’s statement, the cause of the fire will be determined once the Emergency Situations Sector has completed its investigation. After the fire was put out, members of the Nis Police Administration and fire-protection experts went to the scene to collect evidence. The prosecutor’s office has not been notified of any suspicion of a criminal offence, according to a source close to the investigation.
Under the Fire Protection Act, the owner of a building is required to take fire-prevention measures, including regular checks of fire-protection installations and worker training. According to the Interior Ministry, the fire-protection inspectorate carried out more than 25,000 inspections at business premises in Serbia in 2024.
The management of the “Trilord” factory, whose names are not given in media statements, expressed gratitude to the firefighters and to the public and announced an assessment of the material damage. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia said that “Trilord” is one of the largest furniture producers in the Nisava District, with significant exports to European Union markets.
The next procedural step is the submission of the report on the cause of the fire to the insurance company, which will decide on the insurance payout on the basis of the Emergency Situations Sector’s findings. According to the local administration’s estimates, the damage assessment will be completed during the coming week, after which the factory will be able to apply for emergency financial assistance.
