Eight rescued as apartment fire halts trams in central Prague

Eight people were rescued from a burning apartment building on Francouzská Street in Prague on Saturday evening, temporarily stopping tram and car traffic along the busy route.

Paramedics examined all eight residents at the scene. A woman around 70 years old was taken to a hospital with an injured hand, while a firefighter also required surgical treatment for a hand injury sustained during the operation.

Prague firefighters declared the second of four emergency alert levels because of the scale of the blaze.

Emergency crews were called to the fire at around 6 p.m. Thick smoke could be seen pouring from the windows of the two-story building near the Vinohrady-Vršovice border.

Firefighters evacuated residents both through the interior and from windows using aerial ladders.

“We are rescuing and evacuating people both through the inside of the building and with the help of high-rise equipment,” Prague fire department spokesperson Vojtěch Rotschedl said during the operation.

The fire broke out in an apartment on the first floor. Firefighters suppressed the visible flames shortly before 6:20 p.m. and declared the blaze contained after 8 p.m., preventing it from spreading further.

The cause of the fire was not immediately announced.

Francouzská Street was closed to cars during the emergency operation, while tram lines 4, 21 and 22 were diverted or suspended through the affected section.

The restrictions lasted more than two hours. Prague Public Transit Company said regular tram service resumed at approximately 8:20 p.m.