Firefighters on Wednesday afternoon declared extinguished a massive fire that ravaged an 11-storey building in the former Bata industrial complex in Zlín, ending nearly two weeks of firefighting operations. The blaze, which broke out on July 9 in a ninth-floor shoe warehouse leased by footwear company Vasky, caused the building to partially collapse on its northern and western sides within hours. No injuries were reported.
Total damage is expected to reach at least the high hundreds of millions of crowns. Outdoor retailer Alpine Pro had more than half a billion crowns worth of goods stored in the building, while logistics firm Packeta lost approximately 9,000 parcels and Equator Cycling suffered damage estimated at five to ten million crowns.
Police are investigating the incident as suspected negligent endangerment, carrying a potential sentence of up to five years. Building owner Cream Group plans full demolition of the remaining structure once the site is handed over.