Christmas Eve sees highest number of fires in five years

Firefighters in Czechia responded to 72 fires on Christmas Eve, the highest number recorded on the holiday in the past five years. No one was killed, but 12 people were injured. Several incidents were directly linked to Christmas celebrations, often caused by careless use of sparklers or Christmas trees catching fire. The total damage is estimated at around 31 million crowns, roughly half of last year’s figure. The most serious cases included house fires near Prague and in southern Bohemia. Firefighters also handled more than 500 other call-outs, mainly due to strong winds.