Apartment Building Fire in Central Liberec: Dozens of Residents Evacuated

An apartment building on Nerudova Square in central Liberec caught fire on Wednesday evening. According to fire brigade spokeswoman Petra Knížková, the blaze broke out around 5:30 p.m. while residents were still inside — the exact number of people in the building has not been confirmed.

Given the scale of the fire, crews evacuated not only the burning building but also neighbouring houses shortly after arriving on the scene, and all access roads to Nerudova Square were closed off. Flames spread across the roof of the building, and firefighters have been working from aerial platforms, tearing apart sections of the roof and using a drone to locate hidden pockets of fire. As of 6:55 p.m., the fire had not yet been brought under control, with six fire crews working at the scene.

Escape through a smoke-filled stairwell

One resident said he was at home resting with his son when the fire broke out. "My son and I were just relaxing — he was asleep — when suddenly there was a terrifying scream in the hallway and someone shouted, 'Fire! Get out of the building!'" he recalled. He grabbed his sleeping child and, together with two other children, ran out through the smoke-filled corridor to safety.

His wife was in a nearby shop at the time and was on her way home. "I heard people screaming in the street. When I saw thick smoke pouring out of our building, I dropped my shopping bags and ran over," she said, watching the firefighters at work with her child in her arms.

Family left with nothing

The family had moved into the building less than three months earlier, and all of their belongings were still inside when the fire started. The man had run out wearing only shorts, while his wife was dressed in a T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops. The children were also in light summer clothes — everything else remained in the flat.

"They told us that later, once it's safe, we'll be able to go in with the firefighters and collect some of our things. Right now we have nothing at all," the woman said hopefully, standing among other residents and locals who had gathered to watch the fire.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz