The production facilities of the Kula Gradačac fashion industry were almost completely burned down in the fire that broke out in this factory early this morning.
There are no human casualties, and the material damage will only be assessed in detail after the investigation. But it is clear that it will be multimillion-dollar, considering that this company employs more than five hundred workers who annually produce around 300,000 pieces of clothing.
The only person injured in the fire was porter Miroslav Mikić, who came first this morning to unlock the company and prepare for the arrival of the other employees. While illuminating the object, he noticed black smoke.
“I approached the shutdown, used up one device, it doesn’t work, the other stopped. A chain fire started, I got burns,” he recalls.
The fire spread quickly, and the local firefighters soon had to be joined by colleagues from Srebrenik and Brčko, after which the fire was localized, but not completely extinguished. The Ministry of Interior and the Prosecutor’s Office of Tuzla Canton say that it is still too early to talk about the causes.
“The Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office of the Tuzla Canton was informed about the incident, while the investigation will be carried out by the Criminal Police Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tuzla Canton, under the instructions and under the supervision of the duty prosecutor when the necessary conditions are met”, stated the Ministry of Internal Affairs of TC.
After the investigation, the causes that led to the fire will be known, as well as the extent of the material damage, which, according to the interlocutors, is huge considering that the production facilities were burned, including the warehouses where the work material was.
“Millions are at stake, especially when we take into account that this is a textile industry, that materials were also burned. There were no human victims, thank God,” says Siniša Baković, commander of the Gradačac Professional Fire Department.
Workplaces burned down and it was a painful sight for the employees. Sabina Bijelić has been starting her working day at this company for 33 years, she tells Federalna, and this morning she and the other employees were greeted by the destroyed halls where they worked.
“I got ready and came to the company. Misery and misery. You can only stand and watch helplessly and that’s it,” she says.
We could not find out what will happen to the workers today from the management of the company, considering that we were told that they are in meetings with partners from abroad. It is clear that their existence after this is questionable, but everyone hopes that, as they say, ways will be found to rise from the ashes.
Photo: illustration
