Skopje, 9 April 2024 (MIA) — Nobody was hurt in the Universal Hall fire that erupted earlier on Tuesday, Skopje Fire Department chief Zvonko Tomeski said, adding that the cause for the fire was yet to be determined by the police.

Despite ongoing renovations, there were no construction workers at the premises at the moment when the building broke out in flames, he said, so there were no casualties.

According to Tomeski, although the temperature was extremely high and caused material damage to some surrounding buildings, melting window shutters for example, the firefighters managed to quickly bring it under control.

Twenty-four firefighters were battling the blazes, using nine fire engines, he said.

Tomeski said they had received the call at 9:50 am and sent two firetrucks to the scene of the fire. The firefighters saw the tall column of smoke upon arrival and immediately requested additional help.

"In a relatively short time and thanks to the sacrifice of my colleagues, the fire was brought under control, although we had a high temperature in the building," Tomeski said, also thanking the police who helped the fire brigade arrive faster and the public water utility company that supplied the water for putting out the fire.

Amid the thick, tall column of smoke, he said, material damage was evident but it was too early to tell what exactly it was that burnt down. "We cannot determine the damage now. We don't know what was inside because the roof structure collapsed," Tomeski said.

"We are still working to extinguish it. There is still a high temperature inside the building. It is impossible to access all places. What is important for us is that the intervention was successful and quick and no firefighters or civilians were injured," he said.

He also urged the government to approve the employment of more firefighters as soon as possible.

"Our fire department operates at 40 percent capacity, which is not enough. Ahead of the summer season, we really don't know how things will go, but we need new firefighters as soon as possible so we can be better staffed and able to respond to all demands," Tomeski added. mr/