7/9/2024Updated 7 hours ago|Source: ČTK, HZS of the South Bohemian Region
A burning pool roof collapsed in Český Krumlov (source: ČT24)
Firefighters managed to get the fire at the swimming stadium in Český Krumlov, which they have been fighting since morning, under control around 9:00 p.m., the fire is no longer spreading, said fire department spokeswoman Vendula Matějů. According to deputy mayor Dalibor Uhlíř (ČK rozumem a srdrom – Nezavislí), he caused such damage that the pool is irreparable and they will build a new one. According to an estimate from an earlier study, the construction could cost 400 to 450 million crowns, depending on whether there will be a sauna world or a children’s world, Uhlíř added. Firefighters estimate the damage caused by the fire on Saturday at 20 million crowns.
The number of responding firefighters decreased from around a hundred in the evening to approximately 40. They will continue to dismantle the roof throughout the night. In the morning, heavy machinery will arrive at the site to help dismantle the damaged structure. “We are protecting part of the roof above the administration and the children’s pool, we are still putting out fires above the changing rooms and the large pool,” Matějů added.
The police on the X network said already in the afternoon that the fire was probably caused by the unfortunate handling of the fire during the disposal of the wasp’s nest. The case is being investigated for suspicion of public endangerment. According to the firemen, no one was in the building, so the firemen did not have to evacuate anyone.
Deputy Mayor Uhlíř said that the swimming stadium will not be repaired. “Right next week, we will start all the preparations, because if we were to go by the minimum dates, then the opening would be at the end of 2027. We have already discussed this with the mayor and officials from the property management and investment department,” he said.
The fire spread covertly
Firefighters received a report of the fire on the emergency line at 08:30, when smoke was pouring from the roof, but no flames could be seen. The fire was located in the soffits of the roof, where it gradually spread over the entire roof. According to Uhlíra, there was the original old insulation, cotton wool, and an allegedly approximately sixty-centimeter air bubble. Firefighters gradually called more and more units, until 22 units intervened there, and announced the third fire alarm out of four. They also requested a drone to search for hidden hotspots.
The fire burned in through the roof, affecting the interior of the pool, including the swimming area, and the supporting structure. Firefighters had to break the glass wall from the windows, a piece of the roof fell into the pool, Uhlíř said.
It is the only indoor pool for the city and its surroundings. The nearest one is in Větrní, eleven kilometers away. To other cities, such as České Budějovice, Frymburk or Lipno nad Vltavou, people have to travel a distance approaching 30 kilometers. The swimming pool in Český Krumlov was the most visited facility in the city, with 75 thousand people coming there every year. In recent years, the city has invested millions of crowns in it, this year, for example, it replaced halogen lighting with more economical LED technology for half a million crowns, which made it possible to increase or decrease the lighting intensity.
