At the temporary reception center Miral in Velika Kladuša, around 06:20 on Saturday morning, a fire broke out on the first floor of the dormitory which accommodates 247 migrant and refugees.
IOM staff which is present in the centers 24/7 and is trained to respond to such events, quickly responded and successfully evacuated the migrants from the burning part of the building.
The Fire brigade from Velika Kladuša arrived to the center at 6:33 and the fire has been put down shortly after that.
28 migrants have been injured and 19 of them have been transported to the Cantonal hospital in Bihać while 8 have been kept at the hospital for further treatment. According to the information received from the hospital’s medical team, two migrants that jumped out of a window in panic suffered serious injuries, but are currently stable. Fortunately, there have been no casualties. No IOM staff got injured.
IOM staff and partners are working on ensuring that the migrants and refugees, who were accommodated in the part of the Center that caught on fire, have new accommodation and everything else they need. Additional staff is available if needed to get that part of the Center back in function as soon as possible.
The center has an evacuation plan in the cases of fire and other hazardous situations. It is equipped with a functional fire hydrant as well as sufficient fire extinguishers, according to the plan.
The causes of the fire are still unknown and the Fire brigade’s professional team is working on determining the causes. In all IOM run centers, it is strictly forbidden to set up a fire and there is a no smoking policy in the centers, as well.
