Firefighters in Žilina had to deal with the situation after plastic crates filled with straw, used as a space for theatre performances at the Žilina-Zárečie railway station, caught fire in the early morning hours of May 19.
The fire quickly spread to the nearby Rondel flyover and its pillars. Although the fire was extinguished, the flyover had to be closed for both road and railway transport.
An expert group will now try to find out more about the cause of the fire. The damages have been estimated at €213,000. The police, meanwhile, have launched an investigation, the SITA newswire reported.
The Truc Sphérique civic association, which runs the Stanica Žilina-Zárečie cultural space, is ready to bear consequences if the investigation proves they were responsible for the fire, the TASR newswire reported.
Traffic impacted
Following the damages to the flyover, the organisation of traffic in Žilina had to be changed.
The police in Žilina introduced the following changes:
- From the Hôrka and Bánová direction, it is possible to cross the Rondel intersection only in the direction of the city centre. Vehicles travelling from this direction towards Poprad, Prievidza, Bratislava, Čadca and Olomouc will not be allowed to cross.
- As for the I/60 road from Poprad and I/64 road from Prievidza, the intersection can be used only for those travelling to the city centre. The crossing of vehicles travelling to Bratislava, Čadca, Olomouc, Hôrka and Bánová is forbidden.
- From the city centre of Žilina, it is possible to cross the Rondel intersection only in the direction towards Hôrka, Bánová, Bratislava, Čadca and Olomouc. Vehicles planning to travel towards Poprad and Prievidza cannot cross.
- As for the I/60 road coming from Bratislava, it is possible to cross the intersection only in the direction towards Hôrka and Bánová. The road is closed for vehicles travelling to Poprad, Prievidza and the city centre.
