August the 23rd, 2026 – German tourists have caused enormous damage after causing a fire inside a Poreč apartment. As if that wasn’t enough, he allegedly stuck his middle finger up at the owner after the act.
German tourists caused a fire in a Poreč apartment inside a family home two weeks ago, according to a police investigation. The fire destroyed almost the entire apartment, and owner Markica Kikić estimates the damage at around €400,000. Kikić has now revealed new details of the entire incident. Index reports that he claimed that some of the guests obstructed the firefighting efforts during the blaze and is also deeply dissatisfied with the police response. “The guests simply got in the way, obstructed and interfered with putting out the fire. In the meantime the police arrived and somehow managed to move them aside,” Kikić said.
“he was getting in my face and even stuck his middle finger up at me”
He claims that one of the guests still did not calm down even after the police arrived. “One of those people was sticking his middle finger under my nose and getting right in my face. The police were removing me from him instead of throwing him out. He wasn’t registered and had no right to be on my private property. The police removed me and gave them priority,” he alleged.
Kikić also claimed there were major shortcomings in the police’s handling of the whole situation. “Believe me, there were major failings on the part of the police. They gave them documents so they could fill in their own names, surnames and the rest themselves. They didn’t take them in. The police didn’t even take a statement from them. They signed and left,” he claimed. He considers the situation was serious enough to require a stricter police response.
“This is a criminal offence of endangering life and property. In such a case, as far as I as a layman know the law, the person has to be taken in and detained,” Kikić said.
he was coming back from the beach when he noticed the flames
As a reminder of previous reports on this bizarre incident, Kikić recounted that on returning from the beach he found the apartment in flames and was particularly shocked by the behaviour of the guests whom the police link to the outbreak of the fire. “They continued with their meal, toasting, raising glasses and bottles. They even got in our way while we were frantically buying hoses so we could try to put out the fire,” he said. He stated that this year’s tourist season is over for him and that he does not know whether he will manage to renovate the apartment even by next year. “For at least the next two years, I’m financially ruined,” he said.
The owner also described the sheer scale of the damage done by the fire inside the apartment. “The entire kitchen was handmade, from the highest-quality materials. All the furniture was high-quality, luxurious, paid for a lot of money. All of this is destroyed. This is a real catastrophe,” he said, adding that the apartment had been completely furnished and renovated. “An absolutely astronomical amount of money was invested in this. Everything was made of expensive materials, there were designer paintings inside with signatures,” he said.
the police say the fire started in the kitchen
The police investigation established that the fire broke out in the kitchen while a 44-year-old German citizen was preparing food.
“Due to the transfer of heat from the stove to the pan and then to the wooden structure, the fire spread to the rest of the apartment,” the police stated. Police suspect the 44-year-old woman of the criminal offence of endangering life and property by a generally dangerous act. The competent state attorney’s office will decide on further steps. The German family has in the meantime left Poreč, while the owner has been left to deal with the consequences of the fire.
Lawyer Zvonimir Matić earlier explained that the owner must first make a proper assessment of the damage, after which he can demand compensation from the German citizen in question. “The most important thing for them now is to make a quality assessment of the damage. After that they will submit a claim to the German citizen to compensate for the damage. If she does not do so, the owner will be able to file a lawsuit with the competent court in Poreč. It is important that the law is on their side,” Matić said.
“booking.com demanded that i pay for their alternative accommodation!”
Kikić had also hoped for help from the platform through which the apartment was booked, but claims Booking.com’s response further surprised him. “An hour later I received an email from the platform informing me that they had moved the guests to other accommodation, even to the most luxurious hotel, and that I had to pay for their accommodation,” he alleged. Booking.com earlier stated that they were checking the circumstances of the case and that the guest had been placed on the blocked users list while the check is ongoing.
Kikić claims that problems with the guests began the day after their arrival, when they started bringing additional people into the apartment. “When I tried to warn him, he simply arrogantly got in my face and said that he had booked the apartment and that they could do whatever they wanted in it,” he recounted. The owner estimates the damage to stand at around €400,000 in total.
