04.06.2021.
Minister Stefanović at “Sloboda“ factory in Čačak
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović, PhD, talked to the management of the "Sloboda" factory in Čačak, where a fire broke out and a series of explosions occurred last night in a separate part of the factory used as a depot for the storage of fuse components.
- That kind of ammunition was not stored there, but that, of course, does not mean that the danger has been completely eliminated. Only when the time specified by the regulations has passed and when it is completely safe to approach, the investigation will determine the cause of the fire and the explosions that followed. Thanks to the plant management’s rapid response, all the workers who happened to be at the factory premises at the time of the accident were evacuated, and most importantly, no one was injured, because human lives are the most important - Stefanović emphasized.
The Minister also announced that during the day, military helicopters would participate in putting out the fire, in accordance with the Air Force authorities’ assessment, and explained that helicopters would drop more than four tons of water on the fire from a safe height, which should help put out the fire eventually.
According to him, 24 hours after the last detonation, as specified in the regulations, units specializing in pyrotechnics would be able to go to the scene, followed by fire-fighters who would act as needed.
– Luckily enough, the incident took place in a separate depot used for storing fuses and certain components. So, nothing happened in those parts of the factory where the production itself takes place. Of course, the most important thing is that no one was killed, that all lives were saved and that everybody is unhurt. I expect that in the coming weeks, after the investigation has been conducted by competent authorities, we will know all the details about what caused the incident, what is the total damage and what measures should be taken to prevent something like this from ever happening again - Stefanović said.He expects that the fire will be completely put out over the weekend, and that the factory, which employs more than 2,000 people, will be able to resume work on Monday.
