Witch-burning night brings record number of fires

Fire-fighters around the Czech Republic were called to a record number of fires on the night of April 30th - known as "witch-burning" night. The ancient ritual of burning witches on a bonfire on Walpurgis night is extremely popular in the Czech Republic and, despite warnings that people should adhere to basic safety rules, some of the fires got out of control. Fire-fighters were called to 210 fires in the course of the night, which is four times higher than at any other time of year. There were also a high number of false alarms when people - alerted to the danger - reported a fire in the vicinity that turned out to be a regular bonfire under control. Doctors likewise treated a higher-than-usual number of patients in emergency - mainly young boys with burns acquired by jumping over a small bonfire to "prove their daring" another ancient tradition on witch-burning night.