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Restaurant explosion in Most, Czech Republic
13 Jan 2025

Six dead in a restaurant explosion in the Czech city of Most

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Six individuals  lost their lives following an explosion of a propane-butane cylinder at a restaurant in Most, a city in northwest Czech Republic. The blast ignited a fire that quickly consumed the building, as reported by emergency services.

According to the local fire service's post on Facebook, “The fire spread extremely fast after a patio gas heater was probably knocked over.”

The incident occurred in a wooden beer garden near the U Kojota ("Coyote") restaurant, located within a housing estate in Most, approximately 70 km northwest of Prague. The fire erupted shortly before 10:30 PM and was brought under control by midnight.

The fire service stated, “Despite all efforts... the fire had tragic consequences for six people.” Additionally, eight others sustained injuries, six of whom suffered serious burns and were promptly transported to hospitals.

Five people were transported to hospitals in Prague, two to the facility in Most, and one to the regional capital of Ústí nad Labem, as reported by regional emergency service director Petr Bureš to Czech TV.

Mr. Bureš stated, "Some of them have really serious injuries and their lives are in danger."

Interior Minister Vítem Rakusan noted that approximately 30 people were evacuated from both the restaurant and a neighboring residential building.

Firefighter Zdenek Blaha mentioned to Czech TV that all six victims were located inside the restaurant, although he did not clarify if they were in the beer garden. He added that the first four fire trucks arrived on the scene six minutes after the fire was reported, finding the restaurant fully engulfed in flames due to the heater explosion.

In total, 28 fire trucks and 63 firefighters were deployed to control the fire.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala conveyed his condolences, describing the incident as "a great tragedy" in a post on X.

Regional police chief Zbyněk Dvořák informed Czech TV that authorities had ruled out the possibility of terrorism, attributing the fire to negligence.

 

Photo Credit: Restaurant explosion in Most, Czech Republic. Photo by the Czech fire services.