More than 240 firefighters took part in extinguishing the fire, as 99 combat vehicles were involved at the peak of the rescue operation.
"The situation is under control, but it is not safe inside, we are working from the outside all the time," said Brig. Piotr Gąska, the deputy provincial commander of the State Fire Service in Masovia during a press conference.
No injuries have been reported, according to the fire brigades.
As thick black smoke had been rising over the area, the operation had also been joined by chemical and environmental rescue specialists.
Warsaw authorities had sent a text message warning Warsaw residents about the fire, asking them to stay at home with the windows closed.
Some time later, Michal Konopka of the Warsaw headquarters of the State Fire Brigades said that the smoke no longer posed a threat to the health of Warsaw residents.
Warsaw authorities declared that they would launch talks with shop owners on Monday to find out what assistance could be offered to them.
Largest retail center in the capital
Marywilska 44 was built after Warsaw City Hall decided to relocate merchants who ran their shops in the very center of the city, near the communist-era Palace of Culture and Science, and from the former Stadion Dziesieciolecia on the east side of the River Vistula, at that time considered to be one of the biggest bazaars in Europe.
The new facility – the largest of its kind in Warsaw – housed hundreds of retail shops, very often run by merchants of Vietnamese origin, offering cheap textiles and other products mostly made in China as well as food establishments. It was visited by up to 10,000 customers every day.
