Law enforcement authorities in Albania arrested four suspects on Wednesday as part of an investigation into a major fire at a multi-story residential building a day earlier in the country's capital, Tirana, while four other suspects are being investigated at large, authorities said.
Tirana police said that those arrested are the administrator of the building complex, the engineer who led the construction work, and the administrator of the entity that carried out the work on the building's facade.
All three are accused of violating occupational safety regulations, a day after a fire engulfed the 12-story building, injuring 11 people.
Meanwhile, the fourth arrestee is the manager of a store on the first floor of the building affected by the fire, who is accused of negligent destruction of property and violation of occupational safety regulations.
The police stressed that they are also investigating four other people, including the owner of the building complex and the two employees of the commercial entity, which started the fire that engulfed the entire building.
Initial investigations have shown that it is suspected that the fire started in the back of the store, under unclear circumstances, in a place where garbage had been accumulated.
Police say the store manager had not taken steps to remove the trash.
Meanwhile, the administrator of the residential complex is suspected of not having taken the necessary actions to control the functionality of fire and rescue protective measures.
Police explain that 11 people were injured in the fire, including firefighters and residents of the building, who continue to receive treatment in hospital.
Meanwhile, authorities are making calculations to determine the material damage caused by the fire.
The country's Prime Minister, Edi Rama, said on Wednesday that the burned building will be rebuilt "100 percent by the builder himself," despite preliminary data indicating that the cause of the fire has nothing to do with construction.
"We cannot just leave people damaged in their property, and on the other hand, taxpayers cannot pay for a loss that should be covered by insurance – a clear case for everyone to understand that insuring homes against disasters is absolutely essential," the Prime Minister said.
The fire - which started around 5pm on Tuesday afternoon - was brought under control about three hours later, according to authorities.
The facade of the building caught fire completely up to the 12th floor and, despite the rapid intervention of firefighters, the fire also penetrated into the apartments. /REL/
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