Czech fire brigades far busier than usual this Christmas

Czech fire brigades dealt with a record number of 3,700 incidents over this year’s Christmas period, a spokesperson for the national fire service said on Wednesday. Initially fire officers were called out over problems caused by snow and strong winds, before a quick thaw meant that they had to respond to rising river levels.

Most years fire brigades are deployed less than 1,000 times between December 24, when Czechs celebrate Christmas, and December 26.