The cause of Sunday’s fire at the Lesní zátiší guesthouse in Horní Malá Úpa on the ridges of the Giant Mountains was probably a technical fault in the electrical wiring or a chimney defect. Martina Götzová, a spokeswoman for the fire brigade, said. The fire, which was uninjured, destroyed the attic of the guesthouse. Firefighters estimated the damage at CZK 900,000.
“Investigators found that the fire originated in the attic in the space between the plasterboard and the roof structure. Deliberate or negligent actions can be ruled out as possible causes,” the spokeswoman said.
Therefore, the fire brigade investigator is continuing to work with the versions that a technical fault could have caused the fire in the wiring or the chimney. Electrical specialists from the Institute of Public Protection will also be working to establish the cause of the fire. “They will be preparing a professional expertise that could help clarify the exact cause,” the spokeswoman said.
Six firefighters with seven tankers and a vehicle ladder set off to the burning guesthouse after 7 p.m. on Sunday. All the people in the guesthouse managed to get out of the building. No one was injured in the process.
Despite the strong winds, the firefighters managed to stop the spread of the fire in time, and the wooden building was largely spared. The firefighters got the fire under control in less than two hours and had extinguished it entirely by 23:20. Water for extinguishing the fire was obtained from a local hydrant and a retention tank.
According to its website, the guesthouse has 15 beds and includes a restaurant. It is located on the main road leading from Horní Maršov to Horní Malá Úpa and the border crossing into Poland. It is about 50 meters from the center of the village, which lies at an altitude of 1050 meters above sea level.