Kraljevo: Containers Set Ablaze at Eight Sites, Car Burned
Containers were set on fire at eight sites in downtown Kraljevo, with flames spreading to cars on the Ibar riverside. Police say three fires were set deliberately and have notified prosecutors.
Overnight, fires broke out at eight locations across downtown Kraljevo after an unknown person began setting containers ablaze around 2 a.m. Flames from one container spread to cars parked along the Ibar riverside, completely destroying one vehicle and damaging another.
According to available information, containers were torched in Omladinska Street, Cara Lazara Street, and Fourth Kraljevo Battalion Street on the Ibar riverside, as well as at five other locations across the city. Firefighting crews worked through the night to put out the blazes, extinguishing the last one around 6 a.m.
At the same time, part of the Kraljevo Fire and Rescue Unit’s personnel was tied up fighting a wildfire on Mount Stolovi, several kilometers outside the city, leaving a reduced number of firefighters available in Kraljevo itself. Despite that, crews had brought every fire in the city under control by morning.
City councilman Predrag Vostinic posted footage on Instagram of the fire outside his building on the riverside, saying the smell of smoke had woken him up. In the post, he also quoted a firefighter he spoke with after seeing a car burning in front of his building:
“We don’t have enough people, someone started setting fires along the Kej around 2 a.m., we can’t keep up, please just get out of the way.”
The Interior Ministry (MUP) said fires at three of the eight locations were set deliberately and that prosecutors have been notified. It has not yet been officially disclosed whether anyone is a suspect or has been detained.
The fires broke out a day after Kraljevo had spent recent weeks dealing with wildfires in the surrounding area. This outlet previously reported that the fire on Stolovi near Kraljevo had been brought under partial control around the same time a new fire broke out near Novi Pazar.
