Police are currently investigating the area. The cause of the fire is yet unknown, but police are working to discover whether the fire was purposely set. There are no reports of injuries. The fire started in the attic, where an air conditioner was installed, and spread from there. Hotel Jezero has 71 rooms and five hotel apartments.

Polonca Noč, the director of the hotel, said that the third and fourth floor were severely damaged by the flames: "About 15 rooms were destroyed completely. We’re not sure about the rest. Everything is still soaked. We still don’t know what needs to be replaced or fixed."

She added that they need to put the heating on, otherwise the water may freeze. Excess water has already been pumped out of the basement, but now they must dehumidify it. Noč said she hopes that power and heat are soon restored to the hotel. "On Saturday and Sunday, construction workers will come in to assess the damage. We need to figure out how to fix the roof and the rest," she added.

Fully restored before summer?
As the rear part of the hotel and the first two floors have remained untouched by the flames, Noč estimates that the hotel could resume business later this month. The entire hotel could be fully restored before the summer holiday season. The hotel’s 33-strong staff will have their work cut out for them. They said they would work with their guests to rebook their stays.

The damage caused by the blaze has not yet been determined, but the hotel is insured. Iztok Noč, the owner of the hotel, remains positive, stressing that it could have been a lot worse, as no guest, employee or firefighter was injured.

103 guests were staying at the hotel when the fire broke out. All of them were evacuated safely.

T. K. B., Aljana Jocif (Radio Slovenija), T. H.; translated by D. V.