From the point of view of the rescuers, the celebrations were rather calmer, but the number of fires increased
Update: 01/01/2023 07:20
Issued by: 01/01/2023, 07:18
Prague – The emergency services have the busiest night of the year behind them, but from their point of view, the New Year’s Eve celebrations did not significantly deviate from the usual number of interventions in the past years. This follows from the reports of police officers, rescuers and firefighters from individual regions. But they had to intervene in the case of people injured when setting off pyrotechnics, deaths after collisions with a train, as well as curious situations, such as a collision between a car and an ostrich. Firefighters went to 286 fires in the Czech Republic, which is more than in previous years. This was told to ČTK today by the spokesmen of the police, firefighters and rescue services.
Firefighters in the Czech Republic responded to 286 fires at the turn of the year, which was more than last year and in the years before the covid-19 epidemic. Compared to last year, the number of fires increased by almost a fifth. Firefighters recorded the most fires in the Central Bohemian and Moravian-Silesian regions in Prague. The fewest fires were in the Highlands. The most common cause of fire was fireworks, the damage in the first six hours of the new year due to the fire in the glassworks in Poděbrady is almost seven million crowns.
In the Moravian-Silesian region, six people, including two children, were injured when fireworks were set off on New Year’s Eve. One person died in a traffic accident, and since early morning the police have also been investigating the death of a person who was hit by a train in Frýdecko-Místek. In contrast, the rescuers were supposed to run more interventions, but according to them, the celebrations passed without extraordinary events.
According to the rescuers, this year’s New Year’s celebrations in Prague were calmer, the firemen recorded a similar number of fires as last year. The turn of the year was comparable to the years before the coronavirus epidemic. There were 55 fires caused by fireworks at night in Prague, burning mainly bushes and containers. The use of pyrotechnics is prohibited in the center of Prague, but people did not obey the ban very much. Firefighters also intervened in an electric car fire, helping people down the chimney and those stuck on a boat on the Vltava. Paramedics recorded 81 events in connection with celebrations during the night shift, which ranks their shift as one of the quieter ones.
Central Bohemian firefighters dealt with the most incidents during the New Year’s Eve night celebrations in the last five years, but they managed without any serious consequences. Most of them were fires related to the use of pyrotechnics. From the police’s point of view, the celebrations were similar to those of previous years.
New Year’s Eve celebrations in the south of Moravia were average for firefighters, but calmer for rescuers than last year. Police officers, on the other hand, had more trips than a year earlier, but this was due to last year’s restrictions associated with covid. Even the Brno police officers did not have to deal with major problems, they intervened at night in case of misunderstandings or reckless behavior of drunks.
In southern Bohemia, the police had to deal with a curious accident involving a BMW car that collided with an ostrich after midnight on Českobudějovicka. Firefighters in the region responded to seven fires and twice opened the doors to people’s apartments. Paramedics treated 130 patients on New Year’s Eve, which is twice as many as on other days, but is a normal situation on New Year’s Eve.
Even in the Ústí Region, the celebrations of the coming of the new year were comparatively peaceful. Dispatchers on the emergency line 158 received about 220 calls, roughly the same as last New Year’s Eve. People reported physical fights in the family or even in public, where alcohol played a large role. Paramedics treated 12 people who were injured by fireworks. In the previous year, firecrackers injured almost 20 people. On New Year’s Eve this year, the paramedics also went to several dozen people who were under the influence of alcohol. A year ago, ambulances went to about 60 drunks. Firefighters intervened in 28 fires of bins, waste or bushes and grass. They also had to extinguish an uninhabited building near the Chomutov hospital.
On New Year’s Eve, rescuers in the Pardubice Region intervened especially for a person hit by a train near Moravská Třebová in Svitavska and for a sunburned child near Česká Třebová in Orlickoústek. Paramedics also dispatched a helicopter to both incidents. A person died after being hit by a train.
The New Year’s Eve and New Year’s celebrations in the Karlovy Vary Region were relatively calm from the point of view of the firefighters and paramedics. Major injuries were caused by accidents and shot corks from sparkling wine. There were slightly more events than in previous years
Even in the Pilsen region, the celebrations for firefighters, policemen and paramedics were peaceful. No major injuries or damage were reported. There were more cases than in previous years of the pandemic, but they were intervention units in the district.
The police in Vysočín received 64 reports on New Year’s Eve from Saturday 6:00 p.m. until this morning. There were complaints about the use of fireworks, disturbing the peace at night, the police dealing with problems with aggressive drunken people and also the finding of grenades. There were slightly fewer interventions year-on-year. Firefighters responded to five fires from Saturday evening to this morning. The paramedics treated ten patients in connection with the celebrations, compared to 17 last year.
New Year’s Eve celebrations in the Liberec region were calmer than expected, according to police officers, firefighters and rescuers. They did not have to deal with any large fires, serious attacks or injuries, ČTK found out.
The police and firefighters did not have bigger problems even in the Olomouc Region. In the first hours of this year, firefighters responded to two smaller fires in Olomouc and Jeseník.
Firefighters in the Hradec Králové region during the New Year’s Eve celebrations mainly intervened in smaller fires caused by fireworks. They were unharmed. Firefighters recorded 37 incidents on Saturday and the first six hours of the New Year, eight more than in the same period a year ago. On Saturday, firefighters helped in the search for a missing woman and her three-year-old child in the Giant Mountains.
In the Zlín Region, firefighters went out on New Year’s Eve and New Year to ten events caused by the use of fun pyrotechnics. These were mainly bushfires or dustbin fires. The celebrations were busier for the Zlín rescue service, it received 369 calls and responded to 235 incidents in the field. The last time he dealt with a similar number of cases was in 218. The Zlín police officers did not record any extraordinary events, they dealt with traffic accidents, drunk drivers or physical assaults.