WARSAW, Poland (AP) – A fire broke out Sunday morning at a sprawling shopping center housing 1,400 stores and service outlets in the Bialoreka district of Poland’s capital.
According to the fire brigade, more than 80% of the shopping complex Mary Wilska 44 was destroyed by fire, and 50 teams, including chemical and environmental rescue experts, are carrying out rescue operations.
A police spokesperson told news agency PAP there were no reports of injuries. Authorities also sent text messages to Warsaw residents warning them about the fire and asking them to close their windows and stay home.
Warsaw, Masovian Autonomous Region, Poland – 2024/05/12: Black smoke is seen in the sky above the burning Mariewilska 44 shopping center in Warsaw. A huge fire broke out at the Mariwilska 44 shopping center in Warsaw’s Bia Oleka district. The State Fire Marshal’s Office said there were 50 fire departments on the scene, totaling nearly 300 firefighters, including a chemical unit. Pump water from nearby waterways to extinguish the fire. Approximately 1,400 stores have been burnt down so far. Residents of Warsaw and surrounding areas were alerted by government security centers and asked to stay at home and close their windows. (Photo by Attila Husejnow/SOPA Images/LightRocket, Getty Images)
Footage broadcast by private broadcaster TVN24 showed thick black smoke billowing over the area.
The shopping center is owned by Mirbud, an industrial construction company listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
Shopping centers and large stores are usually closed on Sundays due to a trade ban imposed by the previous government, which had close ties to the Catholic Church and considered Sundays a day of worship. Such retailers will only be exempt from the ban on about six Sundays a year to allow people to shop ahead of Christmas, Easter and other events.
