Czech-Roma group Amare Předlice: Today's fire the consequence of a long-dysfunctional strategy for addressing the situation
According to the Amare Předlice group, the blaze in the Předlice quarter of Ústí nad Labem today is an outcome of the long-neglected situation in the locality. The local group is calling on the City of Ústí nad Labem to “abandon its dysfunctional strategy” and to work on a solution together with local residents of the quarter.
The fire this morning in an apartment building on Hrbovická Street injured 20 people due to smoke inhalation. Two children are in very critical condition in the intensive care unit at Masaryk Hospital.
“We are of the opinion that this massive blaze is the consequence of many long years of bad, dysfunctional attempts to resolve the situation in our quarter, where in the past many similar incidents have taken place – in addition to buildings catching fire there have been toxic waste dumps catching fire, for example, or buildings collapsing,” Miroslav Brož, spokesperson for Amare Předlice, told news server Romea.cz. “We are calling on the City of Ústí nad Labem to abandon the dysfunctional strategy that it has been following for years, unsuccessfully attempting to resolve the situation in Předlice.”
“We are asking the city to end its inefficient, unnecessary collaborations with agencies and non-profit organizations based in Prague and to begin solving the situation in Předlice by collaborating with local inhabitants and organizations,” Brož said. “We are asking that the city stop supporting dysfunctional projects that do not result in change and begin looking for new avenues and partners for resolving the desperate situation in Předlice.”
“If the city doesn’t do this, then it is just a matter of time before another catastrophe will happen in Předlice that will cost human lives,” said Brož, who went on to say how very glad he is that nobody died today. “We hope that all those who have been injured will get well soon, if possible without suffering any permanent consequences.”
