The apartment fire in Francouzská Street in Prague broke out on 26 September 2026 and required a large firefighting operation, during which firefighters rescued people from the windows of the building using ladder vehicles. The incident led to a temporary restriction of car and tram traffic in the centre of Prague.*
Course of the operation
Firefighters were dispatched to the fire at around 18:00 [1][2]. Vojtěch Rotschedl, spokesperson for the Prague firefighters, said at the start of the operation that it was a larger incident and that firefighters were rescuing people from windows using ladder vehicles [1]. He then specified that people were being rescued and evacuated both through the inside of the building and with the help of aerial equipment [1][2][3]. Firefighters declared the second degree of fire alert out of four [2][3]. Police officers also joined the operation [1].
The fire was on the first floor of a two-storey building [1][2][3]. Before 18:20 firefighters managed to suppress the open flames [1][2][3]. After 20:00 they announced that the fire had been localised, meaning its further spread had been prevented [2][3].
Injuries and evacuees
Paramedics examined eight rescued people at the scene [1][2][3]. A woman of about 70 was taken to hospital with a hand injury [1][2][3]. One of the firefighters involved also needed transport to a surgical ward for a hand injury, said Karel Kirs, spokesperson for the ambulance service [1][2][3].
Impact on traffic
Because of the fire, car traffic and tram lines 4, 21 and 22 were halted in Francouzská Street [1][2][3]. Traffic was restricted for more than two hours, and trams began running again at about 20:20, according to the Prague public transport company [2][3].
Related articles: Francouzská Street
Chronology
- — Thick smoke poured from a house on Francouzská Street in Prague; firefighters rescued people from the windows. Novinky.cz iDNES.cz
Pages linking here
Sources
- Novinky.cz — 26 September 2026
- iDNES.cz — 26 September 2026
- Lidovky.cz — 26 September 2026