Police Investigate Fire Near Trnava, Arson Not Ruled Out

Trnava, 26 March (TASR) – Police are investigating a night-time fire in the village of Zvoncin near Trnava, suspecting arson and not ruling out a possible reclassification of the case once all the facts are established, the Trnava regional police said. The operations centre received a report of a fire at a local agricultural collective shortly after 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday (25 March). Several police patrols were immediately dispatched to the scene. Firefighters said the blaze involved waste plastic foil belonging to a plastics processing company and was brought under control overnight. "Upon arrival, officers assisted the responding firefighters and had to deal mainly with bystanders who began gathering around the site," police said, adding that after the fire was extinguished, the fire investigator did not rule out third-party involvement. "A dog handler with a specially trained service dog and a forensic technician were also deployed. The case has been taken over by responding officers, who are handling it as suspected criminal damage," police added. Firefighters estimated preliminary direct material damage at around €50,000. Professional units from district directorates in Trnava, Galanta and Dunajska Streda responded, along with members of the Rescue Brigade of the Firefighter and Emergency Corps in Malacky and the Firefighter and Emergency Unit of the capital Bratislava, as well as several volunteer fire brigades. mf