Burning building in Zlín has collapsed at two points, its structural integrity is compromised

Zlín – A building in the former Baťa industrial complex has been on fire in Zlín since the morning. Today, the extensive fire will not be extinguished; it is still not under control, said the spokesperson for the regional fire department, Pavel Řezníček, to ČTK. The building gradually collapsed in two places in the afternoon, leaving less than half of the structure with 11 above-ground floors standing. The structural integrity of the building has been compromised; it is unclear whether it will collapse on its own or whether the owner will have to demolish it, said the spokesperson. No one was injured; there were no people inside, the firefighters stated on network X.

In the afternoon, two helicopters equipped with water buckets were used to extinguish the fire, dropping water on the site.

A fire broke out this morning on the ninth floor of building number 34, where the Zlín shoemaking company Vasky has a rented warehouse. In the morning, firefighters declared a special alarm level, the highest of four, which is declared only for extraordinary events. The area surrounding the burning building has been closed off. "We still have a protective perimeter around the building. We are extinguishing from height equipment where we can reach, mostly what has already collapsed. Part of the building is still standing. The extinguishing is being carried out using two helicopters. Monitoring is also ongoing with drones, and we are protecting surrounding buildings,” said Řezníček.

According to him, more than 40 professional and volunteer units have participated in the intervention, making a total of approximately 300 firefighters. They are also dealing with burning pieces of paper and other materials flying from the building. One such piece landed on building 32, which houses a post office and other establishments. "There was a minor ignition there, which was immediately extinguished,” the firefighters' spokesperson reported. It is difficult for him to estimate how long the firefighters' intervention will last. "However, it definitely will not be extinguished today,” he believes.

Police estimated the damage to the footwear stored in the burning building to be between 60 and 80 million crowns. Additional damage will be to the building and its equipment, said police spokesperson Monika Kozumplíková to ČTK. Václav Staněk, the owner and founder of Vasky, told ČTK that there were approximately 75,000 pairs of shoes, clothing, and accessories of the brands Vasky and Botas in the warehouse, with a sales value of 150 to 180 million crowns. The production takes place elsewhere. According to him, the company is insured. This year, the company marked ten years since its establishment, and last year's turnover was around 300 million crowns.

According to the police, the fire started in the footwear warehouse today before 8:30 AM. The fire gradually spread to other floors of the building and to the roof. It is a building that was constructed at the turn of the 1940s and 1950s as a central shoe warehouse. Firefighters, along with police officers, evacuated about a hundred people from the ninth floor, where the fire presumably started. Later, people were also evacuated from other buildings in the vicinity.

The cause of the fire will be investigated by police and fire department investigators. A chemical laboratory did not measure increased concentrations of pollutants in the air. "However, the recommendation for residents in the vicinity to avoid ventilating their homes still stands,” said firefighters' spokesperson Klára Ochmanová to ČTK. The police continue to urge residents to stay away from the fire site and limit their time in areas affected by smoke. "The remains of the building are still burning, so examining the fire scene is definitely not on the agenda,” police stated on network X.

Today's fire occurred in the Cream company building. The company also owned the object that burned in January 2013. It was a fire at an electronics warehouse in the same industrial complex. Due to the fire in the seven-story building, 40 units of firefighters were deployed at that time. It was later decided to demolish the structure. The building was utilized by the company HP Tronic Zlín as an electronics warehouse. The fire destroyed appliances worth 210 million crowns, the spokesperson for HP Tronic Zlín, Bohuslav Komín, reported to ČTK at that time.