Apocalyptic images surfaced from the Global shopping mall in Strumica, where the ground floor seems completely burnt out in the large blaze that broke out yesterday evening.

Firefighters said that they had to approach the mall from three sides, and needed assistance from teams across the region. The fire broke out shortly after 23h and nearly 40 men with six vehicles were sent out. Radovis, Kavadarci, Valandovo and Stip sent reinforcements, but still it took until nearly 3:50 in the morning for the fire to be out. Fortunately, there were no casualties.

A team is left there to continue putting out the smoldering fires on the ground floor. The damage is enormous, Strumica fire-fighting department reported.

Global is a major development in downtown Strumica, with dozens of shops and a marketplace. The mall was at the center of one of the earliest corruption scandals involving Zoran Zaev, who, as Mayor of Strumica, approved its construction. In 2008 Zaev was charged with violating laws on public – private partnership when he signed a contract to give publicly owned land to a private company owned by his business partner to build the mall, greatly underestimating the value of the land that as given as part of the deal. Zaev received a pardon from then President Branko Crvenkovski for the charges.