SUMMARY - Saturday, March 18, 2023 - 9 p.m.

BANSKA STIAVNICA - A fire broke out in a historical building, which houses a well-known tourist attraction, on a square in the centre of Banska Stiavnica on Saturday morning, Katarina Krizanova, a spokesperson for the Firefighter and Emergency Corps Presidium told TASR on the same day, adding that it gradually expanded to other buildings in the city centre. BANSKA STIAVNICA/BRATISLAVA - President Zuzana Caputova thanked for the help in extinguishing the fire in the centre of Banska Stiavnica (Banska Bystrica region), TASR learnt from her post on a social network on Saturday. BANSKA STIAVNICA - An extensive fire in Banska Stiavnica has been stabilised in the afternoon, interim Prime Minister Eduard Heger, and Firefighter and Rescue Corps (HaZZ) President Pavel Mikulasek told a press briefing at the scene of the fire on Saturday, adding that the roof area of the geological museum was still on fire but firefighters were taking steps to prevent its spread. BANSKA STIAVNICA - Firefighting work and monitoring of the situation related to a large-scale fire in the historic centre of Banska Stiavnica (Banska Bystrica region) will continue during the night, spokeswoman for the Regional Directorate of the Firefighter and Rescue Corps (HaZZ) in Banska Bystrica Julia Zelenakova told TASR on Saturday. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia's coronavirus update for Friday, March 17, according to the National Health Information Centre's (NCZI) special website covid-19.nczisk.sk: NEW POSITIVE PCR TESTS: 78 Daily PCR tests: 495 NEW DEATHS: 3 Deaths in total: 21,058 am