Fire quickly contained at Arena Centar storage area on Black Friday

A fire broke out Friday evening in a storage area at the Arena Centar shopping mall in Zagreb, but was quickly extinguished and caused no injuries, the Zagreb Police Department told Hina. 

Shoppers were not officially evacuated but were asked to leave temporarily until the smoke cleared.

Zagreb Fire Department chief Siniša Jembrih said firefighters received several reports at 6:21 p.m. of a vehicle fire on Level 1 of the underground garage. Crews from the downtown fire station were immediately dispatched.

Upon arrival, firefighters discovered that plastic materials in a storage space—rather than a vehicle—had caught fire. The garage was packed with drivers attempting to exit, forcing firefighters to set up hoses from outside while managing traffic and calming panicked shoppers. Police were called in to assist.

The fire was extinguished by 6:45 p.m. Shoppers soon returned to the mall, and stores resumed normal operations, although witnesses told HRT that a burnt smell lingered inside.