Bezanijska Kosa fire injures man, building evacuated
A 50-year-old man was hurt trying to put out a fire at 36 Nikole Dobrovica Street, and firefighters led all residents out of the building as a precaution.
On Sunday, October 18, at around 3 p.m., the terrace of apartment no. 1 on the ground floor of the building at 36 Nikole Dobrovica Street went up in flames. The fire in Bezanijska Kosa injured a man identified as Z. M. (50), who tried to put it out himself. He suffered burns on both hands and cuts on his right arm. As a precaution, firefighters led all residents out of the building.
How did the Bezanijska Kosa fire start?
According to unofficial information, the fire was caused by a lit cigarette Z. M. was smoking on the terrace. The flames caught items on the terrace and then spread into the apartment. Per the same information, he admitted that the fire started when the cigarette ignited things on the terrace.
Z. M. was with his mother (76). Sources differ on where they were: Telegraf reports that both were inside the apartment, while Kurir writes that the man was on the terrace with his mother. Neighbors noticed thick smoke coming from the ground floor and called firefighters at once. When they arrived, the terrace was burning.
Z. M. tried to put out the fire and was cut when glass shattered. His mother came out without visible injuries. An emergency medical team arrived at the scene, but mother and son declined medical help and were not taken to hospital.
Why was the whole building evacuated?
Smoke spread quickly through the hallways, so firefighters immediately led all residents out as a precaution. The fire was contained before it reached the upper floors and neighboring apartments.
Firefighters, as reported, reacted fast enough to keep the blaze from spreading to the upper floors and the neighbors’ apartments. The only people mentioned among the injured are Z. M. and, without visible injuries, his mother.
Firefighters’ appeal to residents
The fire and rescue services have once again appealed to citizens in light of frequent fires caused by carelessness. The appeal states:
“We urge citizens never to leave lit cigarettes unattended, not to throw them out of windows or off terraces, and always to check that a butt is fully extinguished before putting it in the trash.”
The services warn that a single butt left burning, combined with wind or flammable material on a terrace, can start a large fire within minutes and put lives at risk. They also remind residents not to store paper, furniture or other easily flammable items on terraces and near windows, since they can catch fire through carelessness.
