A home for the elderly in Barajevo after a fire that killed 11 people, Serbia, January 20, 2025, Photo: REUTERS
15.07.2025. 17:10h
The Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade has filed an indictment against three responsible persons of the Home for the Elderly in the Belgrade municipality of Barajevo for the death of 11 people in a fire that occurred at the end of January.
The prosecutor’s office announced on Tuesday, July 15, that the three are suspected of failing to install the required fire protection devices, and that they “did not act at all in accordance with the regulations and technical rules on protection measures stipulated in the relevant laws,” which caused the fire.
The indictment, which was submitted to the Higher Court in Belgrade for a decision on confirmation, includes the director of the Home for the Accommodation of the Elderly and Adults “Ivanović” Gorica I., as well as Aleksandar I. and Miloš I., who are said to have been “actually entrusted with all tasks within the competence of the director and responsible person”.
The defendants are charged with the criminal offense of Serious Crime Against Public Security in co-perpetration.
“There are justified suspicions that the defendants did not act in accordance with the regulations stipulated in the Law on the Protection of the Population from Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, which prohibits smoking in the premises of social welfare institutions,” the Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.
Among other things, the Prosecution alleges that on January 20, at the time the fire broke out, the only person in the building besides the Home’s users was the defendant Miloš I.
“Who is neither a professional worker, nor a professional associate, nor a caregiver, nor is he qualified to implement fire protection measures,” they note.
They further explain that the fire occurred when “a red-hot object – a cigarette ember or an open flame from a lighter – came into contact with a flammable substance” in the room of one of the home’s residents, and that the fire then spread to other parts of the building.
They point out that there was no fire extinguishing equipment or devices, “nor any persons trained to implement fire protection measures.”
The prosecution proposed to the court to extend the detention of all three defendants “so that they do not repeat the criminal offense in a short period of time.”
There were also arrests at the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs of Serbia.
Four employees of the Ministry were arrested on February 14th on suspicion of enabling the operation of the “Ivanović” Home for the Elderly, even though it did not meet legal requirements.
An investigation against them is underway before the Special Department for Combating Corruption of the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade.
They are charged with the criminal offenses of Abuse of Official Position in Co-Perpetration, or Unscrupulous Work in the Service.
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