On the evening of January 20, a fire erupted at the Ivanovic Home for the Elderly located in the Veliki Borak neighborhood of the Barajevo municipality in Belgrade. Tragically, eight individuals lost their lives, while seven others sustained injuries, as reported by BIRN.

At the site of the incident, investigators were only able to identify two victims, Natalija Ivanković and Đurđevka Ilic, according to information from BIRN.

Due to the severity of the fire’s damage to the other six bodies, DNA analysis was conducted to confirm their identities: Mila Mišić, Vesna Stepanović, Zoran Stevanović, Radiša Petronijević, Milan Dimitrijević, and Velibor Živanović.

BIRN reports that at the time of the fire, over thirty residents were present at the Ivanovic home, which exceeds the facility’s licensed capacity.

While there should have been one nurse on duty that night and another during the day, there were no nursing staff present at the Ivanovic home on January 20.

The investigation revealed that the nurse scheduled for the night shift chose to stay home to prepare for the baptism of St. John.

The sole individual overseeing the residents was the owner’s son, Miloš Ivanović, who lacks the qualifications for caregiving, is unemployed, and has previously been convicted of engaging in unlicensed business activities at another similar facility.

A cigarette or lighter is believed to be the origin of the blaze at the Barajevo home.

Although smoking is prohibited in such facilities by law, BIRN’s investigation indicates that some residents were smokers and had access to a designated smoking room. Furthermore, some residents reportedly smoked in the hallways and bedrooms despite the strict regulations.

The first floor was designated for women, while the attic contained rooms mostly for men. Many of the residents were afflicted with neurological and psychiatric disorders, with some being restrained due to their behaviors.

Documentation reviewed by BIRN suggests that among the attic residents was a heavy smoker, whose issue the owners could not address. Eyewitnesses recounted that this man, himself a fire victim, anxiously smoked in the hallway and bedroom throughout the night, and it is suspected that he accidentally ignited the bed with a cigarette or lighter, leading to the rapid spread of the fire.

Firefighters received the emergency call at 3:32 a.m. Upon their arrival thirteen minutes later, they discovered that the fire had already engulfed an area of 150 square meters out of a total of 500 square meters, as stated by the Ministry of the Interior.

The injured were primarily rescued by the homeowner’s son before firefighters arrived. According to the firefighters interviewed, immobile women awaited rescue in beds and wheelchairs, engulfed in smoke and soot, while water from hoses was dousing down from the attic.

An investigation into the fire in Barajevo is ongoing, with three individuals now in custody.

On the same day, forensic experts began their investigation post-extinguishment. The on-duty prosecutor from the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade ordered arrests for those suspected of committing a “serious offense against public security.” Gorica Ivanović, the director of “Ivanović” Home for the Accommodation of Adults and the Elderly, was detained due to her role as the responsible party. Her husband, retired police officer Aleksandar Ivanović, and their son, Miloš Ivanović, who is believed to have been in charge of management and oversight, were also arrested.

Initially, due to a lawyers’ strike, the suspects were without representation and were assigned a public defender. They were placed in custody for up to 30 days to prevent witness tampering, reoffending, or causing public unrest.

Meanwhile, the suspect’s family has engaged defense attorney Nemanja Srzentić, who is known for representing ruling party MP Vladimir Đukanović in a case against Radar weekly journalist Vuk Cvijić.

The Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans, and Social Affairs issued a work license to the Ivanović Home in 2014 for a five-year period, indicating a capacity for 16 residents at that time.

This license was renewed in June 2021, during the tenure of Darija Kisić Tepavčević as ministry head.

The news of the tragic fire, which resulted in eight fatalities and seven injuries, prompted a statement from Minister Nemanja Starović asserting that the burned home “had all the necessary permits.”

However, a few hours later, journalists uncovered that the facility’s account had been frozen since February 2020, amounting to nearly 100,000 euros (11.65 million dinars) according to National Bank data.

On January 21, the Ministry reported that 34 residents were present at the home during the fire. The ministry further noted that the facility had a license for a maximum of 29 residents, representing a discrepancy of thirteen more individuals than allowed.

On the same day, inspections led to a ban on operations at the “Ivanović” home.

BIRN has learned that the Department for Combating Corruption within the VJT in Belgrade, alongside the police, is gathering information regarding the case.

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