Novi Sad: Cars Torched on Ilije Bircanina Street

In brief:

• Fire broke out overnight in a parking lot on Ilije Bircanina Street, in the Nova Detelinara neighborhood of Novi Sad
• Initial reports said four vehicles were burning; Dnevnik later reported two were completely destroyed and two partially damaged
• No one was hurt, all the cars were empty, but the material damage is significant
• The fire did not spread to the nearby MOL gas station, even though it is only about ten meters away
• Traffic was shut down for the police investigation, and authorities suspect the fire was set deliberately

Fire Engulfs Cars in Nova Detelinara Parking Lot

A fire broke out overnight in a parking lot on Ilije Bircanina Street, in the Novi Sad neighborhood of Nova Detelinara. The flames spread across several parked cars before firefighters put the blaze out.

Initial reports said four vehicles were burning. All of them were empty, so no one was injured. The material damage, however, was assessed as significant.

More precise details reported later by Dnevnik indicate that two vehicles were completely destroyed, while the other two suffered partial damage. The exact scope of the damage is typically confirmed only once police complete their on-site investigation, which is why early and later figures in cases like this often differ.

The parking lot where the cars burned sits about ten meters from the intersection with Hadziruvimova Street. According to earlier announcements, a residential building is planned for that stretch, but for now it serves as parking space for residents of the surrounding area.

A MOL gas station stands close by, and had the fire spread that direction the consequences could have been far more serious. According to information available so far, the flames did not reach the station, even though the fire broke out just a few dozen meters away.

Footage of the fire also surfaced on social media, including on the Instagram account of 192.rs, which regularly posts news from Novi Sad.

Traffic Halted for Police Investigation

Traffic on Ilije Bircanina Street was shut down because of the fire. Police went to the scene to carry out an investigation and establish exactly what happened.

Based on what is known so far, the fire was most likely set deliberately. The official cause and motive still have to be determined by the investigation, which is ongoing. Forensic findings should show whether the fire started from a technical fault in one of the vehicles or, as suspected, was started intentionally. So far, authorities have not said whether there is a suspect.

This Stretch of Street Has Been Targeted Before

This is not the first time this section of Ilije Bircanina Street has drawn attention over a security incident. A few years ago, a car parked on the same stretch exploded after a bomb was planted inside it, an event that drew considerable attention in Novi Sad at the time.

The repeat incident at the same location, even with a different method, raises the question of whether this is connected to a score being settled over that part of the city or is an isolated case. The answer depends on how the police investigation unfolds, as it works to determine who set the fire and why.

As of this writing, authorities had not released further details about the investigation, nor had they announced any information about a possible suspect. Srpske Novine is following the story and will publish new information as it becomes available.