A roof collapsed at a residential building on Verdijeva Street in Piran, Slovenia, leaving one person trapped beneath the rubble before his brother managed to rescue him. The incident happened on September 13 at around 3:29 p.m., when emergency services received a report that a person was trapped inside the damaged building. By the time firefighters from the Koper Fire Brigade arrived, the trapped man had already been pulled to safety by his brother. Firefighters then entered the building to assess the situation and evacuate the remaining residents. Firefighters determined that the building was no longer safe for people to remain inside. Five people were evacuated from the property, including the three members of the family who were in the affected part of the building, while another apartment was also located on the lower level. Emergency responders checked everyone at the scene, and one person was found to have suffered minor injuries. The evacuated residents were unable to return home, so a representative of Piran’s Civil Protection service helped arrange temporary accommodation for them.
Peter Ocepek, the intervention commander from the Koper Fire Brigade, said the firefighters were initially informed that someone was trapped in the rubble. When they arrived, however, the man’s brother had already managed to free him. The firefighters then evacuated the occupants and inspected the structure, concluding that the building posed a safety risk. Residents were instructed to take essential belongings with them and were prohibited from staying in the house until a construction inspector could determine what further measures would be required. Police later sealed the building because it was considered unsuitable for habitation. The incident has once again highlighted the risks associated with aging and structurally unsafe buildings in historic parts of Slovenian coastal towns, where maintaining older properties can be particularly challenging. In this case, the quick intervention of the trapped man’s brother helped prevent a more serious outcome, while firefighters and other emergency services secured the building and made sure the remaining residents were safely evacuated. Further decisions about the property will depend on the findings of the construction inspection.
