Zagreb, 20 January 2025 (Hina/MIA) — Eight people were killed and seven were injured in a fire that broke out Monday at 3:30 am in a nursing home in the Belgrade municipality of Barajevo, Serbia's authorities said.

Firefighters and members of the Emergency Situations Sector extinguished the fire and evacuated 13 people. The home housed 30 residents, and the seven injured individuals have been hospitalized.

There are indications the fire was deliberately set, Labor and Social Welfare Minister Nemanja Starović told Radio-Television Serbia. He said the home in the village of Veliki Borak had all the necessary permits to operate.

An investigation is under way, and the case has been taken over by the prosecutor’s office.

Nenad Stefanović, the chief public prosecutor in Belgrade, told Tanjug there was suspicion the fire was started by one of the home’s residents, who perished in the incident.

The head of the Interior Ministry Emergency Situations Sector, Luka Čaušić, said the intervention of firefighters and rescue teams prevented a higher death toll. "This is a great tragedy, but it could have been much worse."

Prime Minister Miloš Vučević expressed condolences to the families of the victims. "Terrible news, a difficult morning. I hope those injured will recover," he said.