Fire in construction containers kills eight in Czech city

Eight people who were most likely homeless were killed after a fire broke out on Wednesday night in construction containers in the Czech city of Brno, police said on Thursday. The fire engulfed around 12 containers in an area on the edge of an apartment complex before being extinguished by early morning, according to Czech TV.

Eight people who were most likely homeless were killed after a fire broke out on Wednesday night in construction containers in the Czech city of Brno, police said on Thursday.

The fire engulfed around 12 containers in an area on the edge of an apartment complex before being extinguished by early morning, according to Czech TV. Police said on Twitter the people were in the area, which was slated for demolition, without permission.

"After the fire broke out, they could not find a way out of the heavily smoky area," police said. "According to the owner, the area was empty yesterday afternoon, and homeless people were using it for sleeping." Police had not yet determined the cause of the fire.

In 2020, a fire in an apartment building killed 11 in one of the country's worst such incidents in recent times. Another fire in an abandoned building often used by homeless people in Prague killed nine people in 2010.