Fire Guts Roof of Abandoned Building in Karaburma

A fire broke out in Karaburma on Friday, August 7, around 6:45 a.m. It engulfed an abandoned building belonging to the joint stock company Zastava promet, a company registered for the sale, servicing and parts of vehicles, on Mije Kovacevica Street in Belgrade. The flames spread across a roof structure covering about 400 square meters.

Fire crews were on the scene immediately, and the blaze was subsequently brought under control. No one was injured in the fire.

News that the fire had been contained came at 9:29 a.m. Firefighters stayed on site afterward to put out the remaining hotspots. A large amount of smoke hung over the scene throughout the intervention.

What Was Burning on Mije Kovacevica Street

The building was abandoned, and that single fact explains most of what happened next.

The structure where the fire broke out had been out of use. The figure of 400 square meters refers to the roof structure alone, not to the total floor area of the building.

A roof burns fast and is put out slowly. Flames travel underneath the covering, through the load bearing substructure, so hotspots keep smoldering even after the open fire has been extinguished. That is why putting out the last embers typically takes longer than the initial firefighting, and why smoke lingers over a burned roof for a long time.

The stretch of Mije Kovacevica Street where the fire occurred belongs to the Palilula municipality, an area where residential buildings sit alongside business premises and warehouses.

Why Were There No Injuries?

Because there was no one inside the building. An abandoned structure has no employees, no shift that would already be at work by 6:45 a.m., and no residents who would need to be evacuated. The fire started on the roof, the part of the building farthest from the ground floor and the entrance.

Confirmed so far:

• the fire broke out on August 7 around 6:45 a.m.
• the location is Mije Kovacevica Street in Karaburma, Belgrade
• a roof structure of about 400 square meters burned
• fire crews brought the blaze under control and no injuries were reported

What Happens After the Fire Is Out

Once the hotspots are extinguished, the on-site investigation begins. It is led by police, working from the findings of the fire and rescue unit, with a single goal: establishing the cause.

The cause has not been announced. Until it is, every theory remains just that, an assumption, and is treated accordingly.

If the investigation finds that the fire was deliberately set or caused by negligence, and that it endangered property on a larger scale or human life, the act is classified as causing general danger under Article 278 of the Criminal Code. If a technical fault or an external cause without human involvement is established, there are no criminal proceedings.

An abandoned building complicates that part of the process. There are no employees for police to question as first witnesses, and no record of who last entered the building. In such cases, the investigation relies on traces found at the scene and on statements from people in surrounding buildings.

There is also an obligation that exists regardless of the cause. Serbia’s Fire Protection Law requires the owner, or user, of a building to maintain and secure it, and that obligation does not lapse simply because the building stands empty. With abandoned buildings, this is typically the most contested issue once a fire is out.

Extinguishing the Hotspots and Assessing the Damage

Firefighters remain on site until every hotspot beneath the roof structure is out. Only after that can the damage be assessed and the stability of the remaining structure determined, since a burned roof can pull down parts of the load bearing walls with it.

No official damage assessment has been published. Authorities have also not disclosed how many fire vehicles and firefighters were engaged in the intervention.