Dozens of firefighters responded to a fire in the historic building of Prague’s National Theatre on Tuesday afternoon. Initial reports that the fire had started in the staff cloakroom were not confirmed. Both the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage remain unknown.
Shortly before 15:00, thick smoke was seen billowing from the historic National Theatre building in Prague. Around 100 employees evacuated the theatre before the fire brigade arrived. There were no visitors in the building at the time. According to emergency services, one person suffered from smoke inhalation but did not require hospitalisation, as reported by Czech media.
Six fire stations, deploying over a dozen emergency vehicles, were on the scene and quickly brought the fire under control. The emergency teams then conducted a thorough search of the building to locate any hidden sources of fire. By 17:45, four units were still on-site, ventilating and monitoring the premises. The incident commander declared the operation complete shortly after 18:00.
Despite the fire, the planned programme in the National Theatre is expected to proceed as scheduled. Thanks to the swift action of the fire brigade, invaluable assets were preserved.
