Vracar Fire: Father and Son Rescued on Jovana Rajica Street

Rescue firefighters took a man, M. J., off a ledge and carried his father, V. J., out of a burning flat. The fire broke out on Friday around noon on the third floor of a building at 18 Jovana Rajica Street in Vracar, Belgrade.

Both men suffered burns and smoke inhalation, and an emergency medical team took them away for further treatment. The hospital has not been named, and neither has their condition.

How did the firefighting operation in Vracar unfold?

Nineteen rescue firefighters and six vehicles from units in Zvezdara, Vozdovac and Zemun responded. They reached the building in about five minutes. The son, M. J., fled the smoke and heat through a window and hung from the ledge until rescuers took him down. His father, V. J., was trapped by smoke inside the flat, and firefighters carried him out.

The fire was contained at 12:45, according to Espres and a later Telegraf article. The flat, about 60 square meters, burned out completely, the windows were destroyed and the facade was blackened by soot. The rescuers’ quick reaction kept the flames from spreading to other flats in the building. After the blaze was put out, smoke still drifted into nearby streets, and firefighters stayed on site to secure the building and prevent a flare-up.

What did eyewitnesses to the fire say?

One eyewitness described the scene from the street to Blic:

Flames are shooting out on all sides, smoke has flooded the street. A man is sitting on the ledge, literally right above the fire! People in the street are shouting to calm him and encourage him to hold on until the ladder arrives

A neighbor from the building across the street, whose name was not published, told Telegraf she heard a scream and ran outside:

I live in the building across the street. I didn’t know the neighbors, but I sincerely hope they are all right. We heard a terrible scream and ran outside right away. We saw quite a sight: a man was hanging from the window, desperately trying to get out and reach some air! It was horrifying to watch him. Thank God, the firefighters arrived in no time and saved him. I heard from other neighbors that there is a child and that, fortunately, the child got out earlier and was saved

She relays the detail about the child from other neighbors, not from what she saw herself.

What else is known about the flat and the cause of the fire?

Sources differ on several details. Telegraf’s first article and Hronika magazin say the fire started around 12:20 and that children who were in the flat got out on their own. Later articles in Telegraf and Espres put the start at around noon and say the grandson who lives there escaped before the flames cut off the exit. No one else has been reported injured.

The official cause has not been determined. Police and fire safety inspectors are investigating, and neighbors at the scene suspect the wiring. Residents who gathered outside told Telegraf:

The building is quite old and the wiring is in very bad shape. That most likely fed the fire and caused a short circuit

For now, that is only the residents’ assumption, not a finding by an expert service.