
Several injured in Ljubljana student dorm fire
A fire broke out in a Ljubljana student dorm, leaving several students injured, three of whom remain hospitalised, one of them in critical condition, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.
Firefighters responded to the fire at the dorm in Poljanska Road just after 4am. Arriving at the scene, they found a number of people trapped on window sills, so the priority was to rescue them, Klemen Zupančič, the head of the response effort, said.
Firefighters rescued a total of 45 people from the building with the help of a ladder and special protective masks.
They managed to extinguish the blaze within an hour, evacuating all 363 people who were inside the building, Robert Okorn from the Ljubljana Fire Department said.
One student with severe burs, two with fractures
Eleven students have been taken to Ljubljana UKC hospital, six with injuries, while five had to seek medical assistance due to smoke inhalation.
"One of the injured is in critical condition and is currently in an operating theatre, treated for burns," Uroš Tominc, head of the emergency surgical unit, told reporters.
The others were injured mostly as they jumped out of the building from the first floor in an attempt to flee the fire. Two will undergo surgery for spinal and ankle fractures, he said, adding that the other three will likely be discharged later in the day.
Investigation ongoing
Initial reports indicated that the fire broke out in one of the rooms on the first floor before the flames spread to other parts of the building.
DIC dormitory is one of several in the area and sleeps secondary students during the school year and serves as a hostel for tourists in summer. The building is not far from the UKC hospital and a voluntary fire brigade is also based nearby.
The firefighting effort included 31 professional and 43 volunteer firefighters.
Some students are reported to have said the fire alarm had not gone off in the building, but police did not confirm those reports.
Education Minister Vinko Logaj said that the investigation into the incident is ongoing and expects to have more information about the cause of the fire in the next few hours.