The investigation into the Alzheimer’s center fire will continue, and remediation work has begun
On Saturday, the building affected by the fire was inspected by a structural engineer and, according to Žádník, set the conditions for the start of remediation work, which had already begun. When the complete cleaning of all affected rooms and other areas begins, it will still depend on further assessment of the statics. None also said on Sunday that ensuring fire safety throughout the building complied with the latest standards.
Most clients of the Roztoky Alzheimer’s Center are in other social services homes in Prague and Central Bohemia. After the fire, they cared for the injured in a total of six hospitals, a large part of them have already been released, and one client remains in serious condition. “I can confirm that there is currently one person in the ICU,” said Žádník. They took care of 16 in the Motol hospital on Thursday, eight of them were released on Saturday, according to hospital spokeswoman Pavlína Danková, and one person remained in the ICU.
A fire in the center broke out on Wednesday around 19:00. Firefighters declared the highest level of fire alarm, affecting approximately 100. The seniors were evacuated from the burning building in Nádražní Street by adjustment ladders. Rescuers announced a trauma plan on Wednesday with events with a larger number of injured.
According to the firefighters, the fire preliminarily caused damage worth about 70 million crowns. The cause remains unknown. The Roztoky center has a capacity of 60 beds. In addition to a home with a special regime, it also provides day hospital services. The operator is the Domov Alzheimer group, which operates similar facilities in Most, Přerov and Lázně Darkov in the Karviná region.
Solution Mayor Jan Jakob called the Alzheimer’s fire a huge disaster. According to him, exhaust fumes were everywhere.
During the intervention, rescuers were reported to have 54 people inside. In fact, there were three more they didn’t know about. According to the findings of MF DNES, criminologists are working with versions that the fire broke out in places where there was a gas boiler room. It was located directly in the attic and the workers had just reconstructed it. Respectively, they dismantled it and moved it from here to the basement.
Police began investigating the case on suspicion of general negligence. Investigators are reviewing information about the reconstruction of the boiler room, but do not yet rule out any investigative version. The cause could also be intentional actions, negligence or technical defect.