Fire breaks out at night in Prague residence of Czech STV Group owner

Nighttime incident at billionaire's residence

On the night of 27 October, a fire broke out in a private residential house in the Kunratice district of Prague. According to the land registry, the property belongs to Martin Drda, a billionaire and owner of the STV arms conglomerate.

Neighbours noticed flames near the building's entrance approximately half an hour before midnight. The fire initially engulfed the area next to the garage, then spread to the insulation material and the house's frame.

Rescue operations and damage assessment

One fire brigade was dispatched to the scene. Fire service spokesperson Miroslav Rezac stated that firefighters extinguished the fire, which covered an area of 1x1 metres, using a high-pressure water jet.

«Ми направили до Кунратице одну пожежну бригаду, яка за допомогою струменя води під високим тиском загасила вогонь на площі 1×1 метр. Викликаний на місце події слідчий оцінив суму збитків у 200 тисяч крон» (We dispatched one fire brigade to Kunratice, which extinguished the fire covering an area of 1x1 metres using a high-pressure water jet. The investigator called to the scene assessed the amount of damage at 200,000 crowns), said Miroslav Rezac.

Since the fire damaged the outer layer of the house, rescuers had to dismantle part of the structure and conduct an inspection using a thermal imager to ensure the fire was completely extinguished. Police then arrived at the scene of the incident.

Investigation into the cause of the fire

Forensic experts are currently establishing the circumstances of the incident together with fire service investigators. Police spokesperson Richard Grdina confirmed that the investigation is ongoing.

«Експерти-криміналісти наразі розслідують усі обставини та причини пожежі у співпраці зі слідчими пожежної служби» (Forensic experts are currently investigating all circumstances and causes of the fire in cooperation with fire service investigators), emphasised Richard Grdina.

According to available information, investigators are not ruling out any of the possible versions: technical malfunction, negligence, or deliberate arson.

Context: supplier of weapons to Ukraine

Czech company STV Group is one of the key suppliers of weapons to Ukraine against the backdrop of the full-scale war with Russia.