Fire in building containers kills eight people in Czech city

Police said they had not yet determined the cause of the fire

Representational photo Alamy via Reuters Connect

Eight people who were most likely homeless were killed after a fire broke out on Wednesday night in construction containers in the Czech city of Brno, police said on Thursday.

The fire engulfed around 12 containers on the edge of an apartment complex before being extinguished by early morning, Czech TV reported.

Police said on a statement on Twitter they had not yet determined the cause of the fire. A spokesman told CTK news agency the victims, who still needed to be identified, were likely homeless.

In 2020, a fire in an apartment building killed 11 in one of the country's most tragic incidents. Another fire in an abandoned building often used by homeless people in Prague killed nine people in 2010.