Six individuals lost their lives and eight others were injured in a propane-butane cylinder explosion at the U Kojota restaurant in Most, Czech Republic, located approximately 62 miles north of Prague, late Saturday evening on January 11, 2025. The explosion was triggered when a gas heater in the restaurant’s glass-enclosed outdoor terrace fell over, rapidly igniting a fire that swept through the restaurant.
Three of the injured victims are in critical condition at a specialized burn treatment unit in Prague, having suffered burns over more than 50% of their bodies. The remaining five victims are undergoing treatment at local hospitals in Most and nearby cities.
During the firefighting operations, emergency services reported that additional gas cylinders exploded, further complicating rescue efforts. One firefighter received injuries during the operation and received treatment at a local hospital.
The fire started around 11:17 PM while approximately 20 patrons were still in the restaurant. One severely injured patron, trapped in a bathroom, was saved by emergency responders. The fire brigade safely evacuated roughly 30 individuals from the restaurant and surrounding buildings.
Interior Minister Vít Rakušan, who arrived at the scene early Sunday morning to evaluate the damage and liaise with emergency services, confirmed initial findings. “According to initial information from witnesses, a heater overturned, causing a fire,” the fire brigade posted on their official social media account. Rakušan revealed that the propane-butane heater was in the restaurant’s front garden.
At the time of the explosion, the restaurant, a well-liked local venue situated in the heart of the industrial town about 9.3 miles from the German border, was operating at normal capacity.
Emergency services recorded the unusually swift spread of the fire through the building, noting that the entire structure was ablaze by the time extra emergency units arrived around 1:00 AM. The Criminal Police have initiated an extensive investigation into possible negligence leading to public endangerment. Police specialists are scrutinizing the remnants of the gas heating system and conducting interviews with survivors to construct an accurate timeline of the incident.
A team of structural engineers is in the process of determining the building’s stability to ensure safe conditions for investigators to continue their work. The surrounding area remains secured as a safety measure. Fire investigators are primarily focusing on examining the restaurant’s adherence to safety regulations concerning the storage and use of propane-butane cylinders.
This incident ranks as the sixth most disastrous fire in the Czech Republic since 1990. The deadliest incident occurred in August 2020, when an arson attack on a residential building in Bohumín resulted in 11 fatalities.
