Polish authorities to support traders hit by shopping complex blaze

The fire broke out at the Marywilska 44 shopping complex in Warsaw, Poland, at around 3:30am on May 12. (Source: Wawa Hot News 24/VNA)

Hanoi – The administration of Warsaw will convene meetings to discuss support for the traders whose stores were destroyed in a shopping centre blaze in the capital city of Poland on early May 12.

The Marywilska 44 shopping complex caught fire on early May 12. Local traders said the fire quickly spread to most of the 1,400 stores, nearly one-third of which were run by Vietnamese people.

The Polish Ministry of the Interior and Administration liaised with leaders of Mazowieckie province and Warsaw to learn about the situation the same day.

Monika Beuth, spokeswoman of the Warsaw City Hall, told local media that the city continually gets updated about fire damage while its security centre is keeping in touch with service agencies and ready to deliver assistance.

She underlined the necessity of supporting the affected traders, noting that the administration will hold meetings from May 13 to work out support measures.

Causes of the fire haven’t been identified while there hasn’t been any information about life losses.

A Vietnamese trader at the shopping complex said the blaze had broken out before 4am. After 4am, nearly 200 firefighters were deployed to the site, but the fire spread quickly to the entire complex in just about 5 - 10 minutes due to the large volume of inflammable materials and apparel.

The blaze was basically put under control at around 8am on May 12.

Facing that fact, the Vietnamese Embassy in Poland has publicised citizen protection hotlines to receive information from Vietnamese people there, while standing ready to support them to work with local authorities, the complex’s management board, the firefighting force, and insurance companies to minimise consequences.

For those who lost their personal papers in the fire, the embassy is ready to provide maximum support so that they can have new papers re-granted soon.

Besides, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has directed the embassy to continue working with local competent agencies to seek optimal solutions to ensure the rights and interests of those victimised by the fire.