Police investigating fire at Industrial Palace

An investigation continues into the cause of the fire that ravaged a whole wing of Prague’s historic art deco Industrial Palace at the city’s main exhibition grounds on Thursday night. The fire raged for most of the night and damages have been estimated at 1 billion crowns, the equivalent of around 50 million US dollars. The police are investigating a number of theories including the explosion of an oxygen container at one of the exhibition stalls, a short circuit and even arson. The blaze destroyed part of the building rented by the son of Social Democrat supporter Václav Kočka, whose other son was shot dead last week. The Kočka family, which holds the concession to run a fun-fair at the exhibition grounds, has in the past been accused of having links to organised crime.