Bohumín arson attack

The Bohumín arson attack was an apartment fire on 8 August 2020 on Nerudova Street in the town of Bohumín, roughly 300 km north-east of Prague, Czech Republic. Police arrested 54-year-old Zdeněk Konopka, the suspected arsonist, in front of the building. According to police, Konopka, who had four prior criminal convictions, admitted to buying gasoline at a nearby petrol station and going to his son's flat. It was bustling with people who were celebrating a birthday party to which Konopka was not invited. It is alleged that he poured the gasoline in the hallway within the flat and then onto the entrance doors and set it ablaze. This led to the extremely fast spread of the fire throughout the flat with no escape route possible.[1]

Bohumín arson attack
View of the top part of the attacked building (11 August 2020)
LocationNerudova Street, Bohumín, Czech Republic
Date8 August 2020 (2020-08-08)
c. 5:45 p.m.
Attack type
Familicide, mass murder, arson
WeaponsGasoline
Deaths11
Injured15
PerpetratorZdeněk Konopka (suspected)
MotiveFamilicide

The fire on the 11th story of the 13-story building killed a total of 6 residents. At least five people managed to save themselves by climbing through balconies to a nearby flat. Five more people, all of them already on fire, jumped to their deaths out of the window from a room without a balcony. Casualties included 3 children. Konopka's son, grandson and soon-to-be daughter-in-law all died, while his estranged wife managed to climb through balconies to another flat.[2][3][4][5] Konopka suffered burn wounds on his hands and legs.[1]

The attack is the worst mass murder in post-WW2 Czech history (see list of massacres). Other mass murders in the Czech Republic in the past decade include the 2013 Harok family murder and Frenštát pod Radhoštěm apartment building explosion, the 2015 Uherský Brod shooting and the 2019 Ostrava hospital attack. The January 2020 Vejprty care center fire was also started deliberately according to investigators, however nobody has been charged with causing 8 deaths therein yet.[6] Another attempted mass murder in Lenora in 2019 ended with only the arsonist's loss of life.[7]

Timeline
Detail of the windows belonging to the burned out flat

Authorities received the first of multiple phone calls about the fire at 17:47. At 17:49, the fire department dispatched units from Bohumín (1 fire engine + 1 ladder truck), Karviná (2 fire engines) and Orlová (1 fire engine + 1 ladder truck). Furthermore, the dispatcher called volunteer units from Bohumín-Šunychl (1 fire engine) and Starý Bohumín (1 fire engine) and a special high rise ladder truck from Ostrava.[8]

The building was first reached by units from Bohumín and Starý Bohumín at 17:54 who immediately raced to the 11th floor to start rescue operations. Trucks from nearby Orlová reached the building at 18:01, volunteer units from Bohumín-Šunychl at 18:04 and units from 16km-distant Karviná at 18:06. 28 firemen took part in the initial rescue operation, with more arriving afterwards for a total of 46 fire personnel with 9 fire engines and 3 ladder trucks.[8]

When firemen reached the building, the flat was already completely ablaze. Five people jumped out of a window to their deaths while a landing mattress was being prepared. The fire was under control at 18:30 and completely extinguished at 19:43.[8]

Six people were killed in the fire, five more from falling and nine people were rescued. Fifteen people needed medical attention, ten of them requiring transfer to a hospital. Among the injured were two firemen. A volunteer firefighter inhaled smoke and a professional firefighter suffered serious burns to the neck.[8]

Suspect

Police arrested 54-year-old Zdeněk Konopka in front of the building and two days later charged him with multiple murder and public endangerment. The Karviná district court ordered his remand on 11 August. If convicted, he may be sentenced to life imprisonment.[9] [10]

Konopka had four prior criminal convictions, two of them for violent crimes. He was known for aggressiveness as well as high consumption of alcohol. Several weeks before the arson attack, Konopka threatened his wife and son with a gas pistol at a nearby lake. Police didn't seek Konopka's remand at the time as the weapon used was not suitable to cause injury (Konopka could not legally possess a real firearm due to his criminal record, see Gun laws in the Czech Republic). After the incident, Konopka's wife moved to the son's flat. Police investigation into this incident was still open at the time of the arson attack.[11]

According to police, after finding out that a family birthday party was taking place in the flat in his absence, he bought gasoline at a nearby petrol station, poured it in a hallway inside of the flat, shut the door, poured gasoline onto the door and set it ablaze. Konopka suffered burn wounds on his hands and legs. He went outside where he was confronted by the police and immediately arrested.[9] [10]

Police response

Initial investigations conducted by the police revealed that the fire was deliberately set and concluded the incident was an arson attack. The motive was said to be a conflict within the family.[12] Police officials detained Konopka, who is accused in connection with the incident, and during an interview with Česká televize, regional police chief Tomáš Kužel compared the incident to the 2013 Frenštát pod Radhoštěm explosion which eventually killed seven people.[13]

See also

References
  1. "Obviněný žhář z Bohumína jde do vazby, k soudu přišel v neprůstřelné vestě - Novinky.cz". www.novinky.cz.
  2. "Police: 10 killed in apartment fire in the Czech Republic". journal-news. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  3. "Czech apartment fire kills 11, including three children - iDNES.cz". Reuters. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  4. "Several killed in Czech apartment building fire, suspect arrested". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  5. "Eleven people killed in Czech Republic apartment building fire". euronews. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  6. "stacionář překlad z češtiny do angličtiny – Seznam Slovník". slovnik.seznam.cz.
  7. "Útok v Lenoře: lidé na agresivního souseda upozorňovali policii i starostu". iDNES.cz. 6 October 2019.
  8. Bohumín, Město. "Hasiči zveřejnili podrobnosti k zásahu u požáru s tragickými následky". www.mesto-bohumin.cz.
  9. "Obviněný z požáru v Bohumíně jde do vazby, přivedli ho v neprůstřelné vestě". iDNES.cz. 11 August 2020.
  10. "Příběh žháře Zdeňka (54): Kdo je muž, který zabil syna, vnuka, exmanželku a další nevinné lidi?". Blesk.cz.
  11. "Žhář z Bohumína je stíhán i za červnový incident s pistolí - Novinky.cz". www.novinky.cz.
  12. "11 killed in suspected arson at Czech apartment block". AlKhaleej Today (in Arabic). 9 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  13. Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Deadly fire at Czech apartment block, arson suspected | DW | 8 August 2020". DW.COM. Retrieved 9 August 2020.

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