The demolition of the burned building in Zlín was accelerated by the collapse of part of the building, work is ongoing

Zlín – The demolition of the burned high-rise building in the former industrial complex in Zlín, which has been ongoing for the second day, was accelerated today by the collapse of part of the building. The debris fell to the ground at the moment when the demolition excavator was cutting off the destroyed floors from above with hydraulic shears. The rubble collapsed inward, and no one was harmed, said Marcel Schmidt, the marketing and communications director of Cream, to ČTK. The work of the special hundred-ton excavator was halted; it will continue on site again on Sunday after the debris is cleared.

"Around noon, a self-collapse occurred in the western wing. A third of the building, which was the most damaged, collapsed. It happened while the excavator was cutting off part of the building. The debris of the building fell inside the space. While this accelerated the demolition work, it did halt the excavator's activity. Smaller machines then arrived to sort the material at the southern tip," Schmidt stated. He added that the special excavator will be working on site after the debris is cleared.

According to him, both the structural engineer and the demolition company expected the collapse of part of the building. "The likelihood of that was high. The work schedule will now be adjusted, and work will resume on Sunday," Schmidt added.

The demolition of the partially collapsed building number 34, which has 11 above-ground floors, was mainly used for warehouses and offices, is being carried out by the construction company Build Synergy from Třinec, which specializes in comprehensive demolitions. The company deploys a special excavator for demolitions of large buildings in urban areas and confined spaces, where a precise approach is necessary. "For these extreme demolitions, we use our 100-ton largest demolition machine Caterpillar 390 F UHD, which allows us to handle even the most challenging demolitions effectively and safely," the company states on its website. Its goal is to demolish the main structure within 25 working days from the moment the company took over the building this Thursday.

The excavator gradually cuts off the individual destroyed floors from the top down with hydraulic shears. After the debris of the building falls to the ground, a water tanker immediately douses the area to reduce dust in the surroundings. The area is fenced off, and many people are filming the work from behind the fence; the demolition also appears in videos on social media.

The building caught fire on July 9, and firefighters fought the blaze for nearly two weeks. They announced the final extinguishment on Wednesday, July 22, and handed over the building to Cream on Monday, July 27. Four days earlier, the construction office decided on the urgent removal of the structure. The owner is required to remove the entire building, including the rubble, by December 15. The office specified a six-week deadline for the company to demolish the parts of the building that pose a risk to health and life.

The fire likely originated on the ninth floor in a shoe warehouse rented by the shoemaking company Vasky. From there, it spread to other floors and to the roof. After the building collapsed in two places, approximately half of it remains standing. The investigation into the causes of the fire, which resulted in no injuries, is expected to take several months. The damage has not yet been assessed. The police are investigating the incident for the suspicion of committing a crime of general danger due to negligence. The potential perpetrator could face up to five years in prison for this.

In addition to Vasky, the building housed warehouses and facilities for the sports clothing manufacturer Alpine Pro, the Packeta group operating the Zásilkovna service, and the company Equator Cycling, which deals with the manufacturing and servicing of bicycles.