Firefighters extinguished a bonfire on a rock at night in Czech Switzerland. No one was with him

After 10 p.m., the responding firefighters found a fresh fire on the rock in front of the summit cabin. There was no one at the fireplace.

“The rock at the fire site showed a temperature of over 170 degrees Celsius when inspected by a drone with a thermal camera. Neither the cottage nor the surroundings of Rudolph’s Stone were affected by the fire. The responding unit extinguished the fire using backpacks,” national park administration spokesman Tomáš Salov told Novinkám.

According to him, the firefighters had to transport around 100 liters of water to the top of Rudolph’s stone in the dark and difficult terrain.

A forest was on fire near Horní Cerekve, the firemen announced the third level of alarm

Homemade

Photo: Jaroslav Hocko, fire prevention officer of the České Švýcarsko NP Administration, novinky.cz

Firefighters extinguish the bonfire on Rudolph’s Stone. Photo taken by a drone with a thermal camera.

After the end of the intervention by the firefighters, the employees of the national park administration also checked the wider surroundings, especially the places where fires had already been recorded in the past.

In all national parks of the Czech Republic, it is prohibited to make fires outside designated areas, even in periods when the fire risk is very low.

In the National Park České Švýcarsko, overnight stays on its territory are also prohibited by law. “Depending on the seriousness of the action, the park administration may impose a block fine of up to 10,000 crowns in the event of the perpetrator being found to be in violation of these rules. In administrative proceedings, the offender may be fined up to 100,000 crowns,” reminded Salov.

If it is not a misdemeanor, but a criminal act, the penalty falls within the competence of the law enforcement authorities.

Almost two years ago, the largest forest fire in Czech history affected the park. It covered an area of over 1,000 hectares. The liquidation was very demanding, with 6,000 firefighters and 400 pieces of equipment taking turns. Professional and volunteer firefighters from all over the country, a large amount of equipment, including helicopters with water bags and airplanes, were deployed to fight the fire, including from abroad.

Because of the fire, the police charged the man with public endangerment and damage to another’s property. If found guilty by court, he faces up to 15 years in prison.