Fire kills eight suspected homeless people in Czech city

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

The fire engulfed about 12 cabins in an area on the edge of an apartment complex before being extinguished by early morning, according to Czech TV.

The cabins were used as a dormitory for construction workers in the past, but have been abandoned for some time, local media reported.

Police said 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. - Reuters

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