Gas pipeline fire forces evacuations in Prague’s Letná district

Residents and workers in Prague’s Letná district were forced onto the streets Tuesday afternoon following a high-priority gas pipeline fire on Dobrovského Street. The blaze, located in immediate proximity to the Ministry of the Interior, triggered a second-level fire alarm and a rapid emergency response.

Prague firefighters arrived on the scene shortly before 2 p.m. to find flames shooting from the underground infrastructure. Emergency crews immediately established a 100-meter exclusion zone, clearing all buildings and streets within the perimeter to prevent injuries from potential secondary blasts.

“There was a gas pipeline fire. Firefighters are responding to the scene in the second level of fire alarm,” fire department spokesman Miroslav Řezáč told Czech media.

Despite the intensity of the flames, crews have been unable to extinguish the fire directly. Officials explained that cutting the flames while gas is still pumping could lead to a catastrophic buildup of pressure and a subsequent explosion.

Instead, firefighters are focusing on "fire protection" tactics, dousing the walls of a nearby apartment building to prevent the structure from catching fire or collapsing due to the heat.

"We are protecting the house, but we cannot put out the fire because there would be a gas explosion," Řezáč specified.

The Ministry of the Interior, a major landmark in the Letná area, sits adjacent to the fire site. While the building’s proximity caused initial concern for government employees, the ministry has not yet been included in the mandatory evacuation zone.

An eyewitness told Expats.cz this afternoon: "I was in Letná Park around 2:30 p.m. when we heard a loud noise. A friend who lives nearby told us there was a fire, so we immediately went toward the area near [Pilot Café] to see what had happened."

"We saw that a gas pipe had apparently burst. Police had blocked off the road with barricades. Some people were hysterically crying, presumably because it was their building. Parts of the façade were falling off, the paint was melting, and the bricks were exposed. The fire seemed to be spreading in multiple directions."

The eyewitness added that all trams near Letenské náměstí were blocked.

Ministry spokesman Ondřej Krátoška confirmed via X.com that the institution’s operations remained unaffected as of mid-afternoon, though officials are monitoring the situation closely.

Local residents and bystanders reported a heavy smell of gas and a loud roaring sound as the fire broke out.

Police have cordoned off Dobrovského Street and portions of the surrounding neighborhood, leading to significant traffic delays and public transport diversions in the area.

Technical teams from the gas utility provider are currently working to isolate the damaged section of the pipe. Once the gas supply is successfully shut off, firefighters will move in to extinguish the remaining pockets of fire.

No injuries have been reported so far, but emergency services remain on-site as a precaution while the situation is brought under control.