Thick Black Smoke Hovers Over Bjelovar
Firefighters are on the scene, and readers are sending photos and videos of the fire and smoke. Official information about the cause and injuries is not yet available.
Firefighters are on the scene, and readers are sending photos and videos of the fire and smoke. Official information about the cause and injuries is not yet available.
On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, thick black smoke hovered over Bjelovar after a fire broke out in the Kronospan factory complex. News of the fire spread quickly, and local newsrooms received photos and videos from readers witnessing the scale of the event.
In the footage sent to the newsrooms of Bjelovar.live and Bjelovar Info, a large amount of black smoke can be seen rising above the industrial area. Flames are also clearly visible in parts of the facility, indicating the seriousness of the situation.
According to information from readers, fire trucks were immediately dispatched to the Kronospan CRO d.o.o. site, and firefighters are reportedly already on the ground working to extinguish the blaze. The fire was reported around 1 p.m., and the intervention is taking place in the factory plant on Slavonska Street. Members of the Bjelovar Public Fire Brigade responded, and the chief fire commander of the Bjelovar-Bilogora County, Josip Heger, confirmed that the entire shift of Bjelovar firefighters responded to the fire. Heger stated: "The entire shift responded to the fire. According to the information we have, there are no injured persons."
At this time, it is not known what exactly is affected by the fire, where it broke out, or whether there are any injured persons. However, according to available information from the scene, no one has been injured so far. The authorities have not yet released official information. More details are expected after firefighters complete their intervention and issue an official report. It is worth noting that this is not the first fire at Kronospan – a previous one broke out in December 2024, when a machine and equipment in the boiler room caught fire, and there were no injuries then either.
Bjelovar.info and Bjelovar.live are monitoring the situation and will publish new information as soon as it becomes available.
