A huge fire spread from a popular beach bar in the seaside resort of Portorož on 14 July, destroying the surrounding shops and bars before the firefighters were able to put it out.

The police had to evacuate the beach, packed with tourists from Slovenia and abroad at this time of year, as well as the nearby shops, whilst firefighters were dealing with the fire, which sent a thick column of black smoke into the air.

A section of the main road running through Portorož also had to be closed to allow response teams unhindered access, but both the beach and the road reopened on 15 July.

Some 100 firefighters battled extremely high temperatures and zero visibility due to the thick black smoke. It took them hours to put out the fire, which started at a storeroom of the Alaya lounge bar and quickly spread to the rest of the surrounding complex.

Two firefighters were taken to hospital after inhaling too much smoke as was another person, who also sustained burns on his feet, Koper Fire Brigade commander Jan Brodar told TV Slovenija. The person with burns was identified in the report as the bar lessee.

The building damaged by the fire is being rented out by Koper entrepreneur Ante Guberac, director of construction company Grafist, who estimated the damage will be at least €3 million. However, an exact damage estimate is yet to be made.

Firefighters said the blaze destroyed an area of some 2,000 square metres.

They were alerted of the fire just after 11am and managed to bring it under control by mid-afternoon and extinguish it by the evening. Fire guards remained at the site throughout the night, and are still periodically checking the site, Brodar told reporters on 15 July.

Police investigators were expected to inspect what is left of the building to establish the cause of the fire, but the building is too unstable for them to enter as part of it was melted in the blaze.

Jure Griljc, chief police inspector at the Koper Police Department, said the building should be first inspected by civil engineers. Once the police do enter the building, it should take several days to complete the inspection, he said.

According to Brodar, the building was already completely engulfed in smoke when the firefighters arrived at the scene. Thermal imaging cameras revealed the temperature under the roof reached 800 degrees Celsius, leading to fears of roof collapse, which happened during the firefighting effort.

TV Slovenija speculated the fire could have been caused due to the old electrical wiring, reporting that those in the know ruled out arson.

Griljc said there were many alcoholic drinks and plastic material at the storage facility where the fire broke out. When plastic is on fire, the smoke turns black, which was what happened at the Portorož beach bar, he explained.

In a statement for TV Slovenija, the complex owner Guberac pledged to do all in his power to have a new building built at the same place by next May so that shops and bars can get back to business.