A fire erupted at the Ivanovic Nursing Home in Veliki Borak, located in the Barajevo municipality on the outskirts of Belgrade, Serbia, early Monday morning, January 20, 2025, killing eight residents and injuring seven others, officials said.
The blaze broke out at 3:30 a.m. at the licensed care facility, which housed 30 residents at the time of the incident. The fire rapidly engulfed more than one-third of the house-like structure situated in the rural area, according to police statements.
“Emergency crews reacted swiftly … but unfortunately, the fire had already flared up, and eight people lost their lives,” Serbian Social Care Minister Nemanja Starovic said.
According to state television, the facility’s remote location presented additional challenges for emergency responders. At least one firefighting unit had to navigate rural roads to reach the scene in the pre-dawn hours.
Head of the government’s department for emergency situations, Luka Causevic, confirmed that firefighters contained the blaze quickly after arrival.
Emergency responders evacuated 13 residents from the burning facility. The seven injured survivors were transported to two Belgrade hospitals, with one woman in serious condition requiring ventilator support, according to state television. Medical staff continued to monitor the conditions of the other injured residents throughout the day.”This is a huge tragedy, but it could have been even worse,” Causic told the media.
The state prosecutor’s office launched an immediate investigation, with preliminary findings pointing to arson. “There are indications that this tragedy was caused by criminal activity of one individual,” Starovic said adding that the suspected arsonist, a resident of the home, was among those who died in the fire.
Minister Starovic addressed concerns about the facility’s safety standards, confirming the Ivanovic Nursing Home operated with a valid work permit issued in 2021 and had implemented all necessary prescribed fire prevention measures. However, he noted that in suspected arson cases, “fire prevention measures are unfortunately not of much help in such situations.”
The Belgrade prosecutor’s office ordered autopsies of all fire victims as part of the ongoing investigation. Emergency response teams were able to contain and extinguish the fire quickly after arrival, preventing its spread to nearby structures.