Fire in Czech town destroys building where bereaved relatives of Stanislav Tomáš, the Romani man who died in police custody in June, were living

Nine firefighting units had to respond last week to combat a blaze at an apartment building in Bílina, Czech Republic; the sister of the late Stanislav Tomáš, who died on Saturday, 19 June after police intervened against him, is among the residents affected. Firefighters evacuated 23 individuals from the building, eight of whom were transferred into the care of the Emergency Medical Services due to minor injuries or smoke inhalation. 

Miroslav Brož of the Konexe organization informed news server Romea.cz that “In the building where Ms Simona Tomášová and other impoverished Romani people live there has been an extensive fire. It began on the ground floor and worked its way up.”

“The building was seriously damaged by the blaze and the tenants have to move out with nowhere to go,” said Brož, who has been intensively assisting Ms. Tomášová since her brother’s death. “We had been helping Ms Simona Tomášová look for a new apartment for herself and her aged and ailing mother, whom she takes care of, even before the fire.”

“We have managed to raise money from several kind donors abroad to cover the costs of the move,” Brož said. An investigation into what caused the fire is reportedly underway.