Prosecution: TC Enjub fire started on the first floor
Belgrade's Third Basic Public Prosecutor's Office says the fire at the shopping centre in Block 45 broke out on the first floor while staff were inside the shops. A court expert has been appointed.
- Belgrade's Third Basic Public Prosecutor's Office says the TC Enjub fire began on the building's first floor.
- Staff were inside the shops when the fire broke out, and around 32 units were damaged.
- A court expert for fires, explosions and accidents has been appointed, and camera footage ordered seized.
- The official cause has not yet been established, and the investigation is ongoing.
Belgrade’s Third Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office has released new findings in the investigation into the fire that broke out on June 15 at the TC Enjub shopping centre in Block 45 in New Belgrade. According to the statement, the fire originated on the first floor of the building. Staff were inside the shops at the time.
The prosecution says the evidence gathered so far points to the fire starting in that part of the building. “The evidence collected so far indicates that the fire at the Enjub shopping centre started on the first floor, and that staff were inside the shops at that time,” the Third Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office said in its statement.
The site of the fire has been marked and secured. Prosecutors ordered the seizure of footage from city cameras as well as cameras inside all the shops in the building. That footage is intended to help reconstruct the moment the fire began to spread.
What exactly has the investigation ordered?
A court expert for fires, explosions and accidents has been appointed to establish the cause and the way the fire spread. The expert’s task is to determine the exact point of origin, the cause, and how the fire developed and moved through the building.
The investigation also covers an inspection of the electrical installations and appliances in the damaged shops. Samples are being collected to check whether any flammable substance played a part in the spread. Inspectors have banned further use of the affected sections of the building until all on-site examinations are complete.
According to unofficial accounts carried by the media, the fire started in two shops and the attic above them, and around 32 units were damaged. Prosecutors have not officially confirmed those claims, so they remain unverified until the expert report is finished.
How did the fire move through the building?
TC Enjub is one of the better-known buildings in Block 45. The fire broke out in the early morning hours of June 15, and crews fought it for several hours. The damage to shops and stock is regarded as significant.
Some traders had earlier suggested they suspected the building’s installations had been affected after heavy rain. That assumption has not been officially confirmed. It is precisely for this reason that prosecutors are insisting on an expert assessment, which should separate assumptions from facts.
No guilt has been established at this stage, and prosecutors have not announced any suspects. The investigation is focused first on reliably determining how the fire started and why it spread so quickly. Only after the expert’s findings will it be clear whether this was a technical fault or some other cause.
Do you think regular fire-safety inspections in shopping centres could prevent damage on this scale?
