Ministry reveals what caused fire at Serbia's Venice Biennale pavilion

Photo: x.com/vigilidelfuoco

The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia has issued a statement regarding the fire that broke out at the Serbian pavilion at the Venice Biennale, explaining in detail how this accident happened.

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We carry the statement in its entirety:

"As part of the maintenance of the Serbian pavilion in Giardini at the Venice Biennale, and in preparation for the upcoming exhibition, work is underway to waterproof the pavilion's roof (area around 200 square meters), which is being carried out by a licensed Italian company, Gaia Costruzioni.

Considering the morning's rain, a drying technique was applied, and due to the strong wind, a spark ended up on one of the side windows used for ventilation, which are made of a combined material, wood and plastic.

A total of six out of 40 small windows burned down (total area 50x150 centimeters), while eight plexiglas panels on the roof were damaged, and the effect of smoke due to flammable plastic gave the effect of a fire of a much larger scale than it actually was.

Firefighters, representatives of the Directorate of the Biennale and the Directorate for the Protection of Monuments of the Republic of Italy went to the scene, and it was determined that the cultural monument was not in danger. Immediately a report was made and a damage report was created for the sake of insurance compensation, which will be covered by the insurance, i.e. the Italian company, a contractor.

The remaining works and the exhibition will proceed smoothly, so the Serbian pavilion will be officially opened on May 8 as part of the presentation of the Republic of Serbia at the 61st Venice Biennale."

(Telegraf.rs)