Czech firefighters responded to record number of fires on Christmas Eve 2025
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“Climate change is contributing to drier conditions, making trees more flammable. Simultaneously, people are decorating with more lights, often overloading circuits. And many homes, especially in rural areas, haven’t had electrical upgrades in decades.”
Firefighters across the Czech Republic responded to 72 fires on Christmas Eve, the highest number recorded on the holiday in the past five years, according to national fire service data.
According to Prague Daily News, strong winds, burning Christmas trees and fallen trees was a big problem for the Czech fire services on Christmas Eve. In total, emergency services attended 515 incidents – including 72 fires.
On Dec. 24, including 357 weather‑related technical assistance calls were driven largely by strong winds that toppled trees and damaged property. The Olomouc, Pilsen, Central Bohemia and Moravia‑Silesia regions reported the heaviest storm‑related workloads.
Several of the day’s fires were directly linked to Christmas traditions. In Prague, firefighters were dispatched to a burning Christmas tree in the morning, though the homeowner extinguished the blaze before crews arrived. Two additional house fires in the capital later in the day forced precautionary evacuations; two people were injured, and investigators believe careless handling of sparklers was the likely cause.
Similar sparkler‑related fires were reported in Central Bohemia, involving seven firefighters, while in South Bohemia a Christmas tree fire spread to the roof of a detached home.
One of the largest operations occurred in Hostivice, where a single‑storey wooden building caught fire, prompting a Level II alarm and the deployment of 18 units, including heavy rescue equipment such as a tracked excavator used to remove debris.
Radio Prague International reported that although no fatalities occurred nationwide, 12 people were injured, and total damages were estimated at 31 million crowns, roughly half the previous year’s figure.
Fire officials urged the public to exercise caution with holiday decorations, candles and sparklers, noting that Christmas‑related fires remain a recurring seasonal risk.
According to the news site Memesita.com, Czech authorities issued renewed scrutinies of holiday safety practices, with fire officials and safety experts warning of a potentially escalating trend fuelled by a combination of dry conditions, aging electrical infrastructure, and a persistent underestimation of risk.
“We’re seeing a perfect storm,” explains Jan Pokorný, a fire safety engineer with the Czech Fire Rescue Service.
“Climate change is contributing to drier conditions, making trees more flammable. Simultaneously, people are decorating with more lights, often overloading circuits. And many homes, especially in rural areas, haven’t had electrical upgrades in decades.”
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Creative Commons License
English: TATRA CAS-32 T815 fire engine, Czech Republic
Date: 2008
Author: Marcus33