Location: Slovakia, countrywide
Event: The embassy has confirmed that the fire was not an intentional explosion. Rather, it was caused by simple human error with a stove in the booth. Slovak emergency teams quickly responded to extinguish the fire. There were no reported injuries, but there was some damage to the booth and an adjacent building.
This incident serves as a great reminder to all of us that during the holiday season security measures in Slovakia remain heightened due to ongoing threats posed by transnational terrorist organizations and individuals inspired by extremist ideology throughout Europe. Extremists continue to focus on tourist locations such as Christmas holiday markets, shopping malls, airports, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, transportation hubs, and other soft targets frequented by Westerners.
Actions to Take:
- Exercise additional vigilance at holiday festivals and events, places of worship, and locations with large crowds.
- Review your personal security plans.
- Be aware of your surroundings.
- Monitor local media for updates.
Assistance:
- See the State Department’s travel website for the Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Slovakia’s Country Specific Information.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
- Contact the U.S. Embassy in Slovakia located at Hviezdoslavovo namestie 4-5 in Bratislava, at +02 5443 0861, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. After-hours emergency number for U.S. citizens is +0903 703 666.
- Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except S. federal holidays).
- Visit the Embassy webpage.
- Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
