This year, out of a large number of relatively common fires of flats, cars and technical interventions, the case of the collapse of the entire courtyard of the reconstructed building in Soukenická Street stood out.

When the troops arrived at the site, it was clear that four ceilings had collapsed – two brick vaulted and two beamed ones. Only the perimeter walls and rubble remained from the building, covering the space between them up to 3.5 m. In the basement area, 4 people were buried.

Despite the deployment of all available equipment, including suction excavators and the use of cynologists with dogs trained to rescue the buried people, it took over three days to clear the debris. The structural damage was also caused by the torso of the house, where work had to be interrupted frequently as there was a risk of collapse of the building endangering the rescue teams. The buried workers had already been found with no signs of life.

Firefighters participating in this intervention were rewarded by the Director General of the Czech Fire Rescue Service for mastering this extraordinary intervention, but they also gained other invaluable experience that can be used to rescue any of us who need it.