Six people died after a propane-butane cylinder exploded at a restaurant in the northwest Czech city of Most, setting the building on fire, emergency services have said.
“The fire spread extremely fast after a patio gas heater was probably knocked over,” the local fire service posted on Facebook.
The fire broke out in a wooden beer garden adjacent to the U Kojota (“Coyote”) restaurant at a housing estate in the city, about 70km northwest of the capital Prague.
It was reported before 10.30pm yesterday and was under control by midnight, the fire service said.
“Despite all efforts… the fire had tragic consequences for six people,” it said.
Eight others were injured, six of them seriously, and all were taken to hospitals with burns.
Five were taken to Prague, two to the hospital in Most, and one to the regional capital of Usti nad Labem, regional emergency service director Petr Bures told the public broadcaster Czech TV.
“Some of them have really serious injuries and their lives are in danger,” Mr Bures said.
Around 30 people were evacuated from the restaurant and an adjacent block of flats, Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said.
One firefighter, Zdenek Blaha, told Czech TV that all six victims were found inside the restaurant, without specifying whether they were in the beer garden.
He said the first four fire trucks arrived six minutes after the fire was reported and found the entire restaurant in flames because the heater had exploded.
In total, 28 fire trucks and 63 firefighters were needed to extinguish the blaze.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala expressed his condolences, calling the accident “a great tragedy” in an X post.
Regional police chief Zbynek Dvorak told Czech TV that police had ruled out terrorism, saying the fire was caused by negligence.
