Fire at Hotel Vila Bisera in Lagadin; fire truck could not reach scene because of blocked, narrow streets

Last night a fire broke out in the boiler room of Hotel Vila Bisera in the Lagadin neighbourhood of Ohrid. Because the property sits in the highest zone of the settlement and access runs along narrow, steep lanes, the main fire engine could not reach the site and firefighters were forced to continue the intervention with a jeep.

Janitor initially put out the blaze; crews carried out a subsequent check

The blaze was initially extinguished by the hotel’s janitor, while the fire service performed a secondary intervention to inspect the scene and secure the area. Eyewitnesses who sent video images say the large fire truck became stuck already at the entrance to the neighbourhood, when it could not turn off the regional road toward the houses.

According to first reports, the most likely cause of the incident was a technical malfunction in the boiler room. The hotel is located among private houses and weekend cottages in Lagadin’s upper zone, an area served only by narrow streets that become especially congested in summer.

The fire happened two days after a protest by local residents and environmental activists from Lagadin, who intermittently blocked traffic on the regional road toward Sveti Naum to warn about the risks of uncontrolled urbanisation and unplanned construction of accommodation facilities that endanger the settlement’s safety.

The deputy commander of the Territorial Fire Unit Ohrid, Kosta Kuzmanovski, warned that such access problems are frequent and hamstring emergency work.

"We constantly face such problems, especially in the old part of the city and in the Goce Delcev neighbourhood, where narrow streets and improperly parked vehicles can seriously hinder the access of firefighting vehicles", Kuzmanovski said. Firefighters appealed to citizens to park responsibly and not block access roads, because in emergencies every second counts and unobstructed access can be decisive for saving lives and property.

The hotel Vila Bisera is also linked to an older case from 2019, when the owner covered a torrent bed and — despite an inspection order and a criminal complaint to the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office (OJO) Ohrid — did not restore it to its original condition. Residents and the local association had complained that the blocked torrent puts many homes at risk of floods and deposits.

Municipal documents from 2019 show the matter was inspected and an order was issued to the owner; later records indicate a complaint and an appeal process but there is no clear public record of a final resolution.

Photo: Printskrin od video)