Bohumín arson attack
The Bohumín arson attack took place on 8 August 2020 at an apartment building on Nerudova Street in the town of Bohumín, roughly 300 km north-east of Prague, Czech Republic. Eleven people were killed and fifteen were injured. Police arrested 54-year-old arsonist Zdeněk Konopka in front of the building. The perpetrator, who had four prior criminal convictions, admitted to pouring 8 liters of gasoline into plastic bottles at a nearby petrol station and going to his son's flat. It was bustling with people who were celebrating a birthday party to which the perpetrator was not invited. He poured the gasoline in the hallway within the flat and then onto the entrance doors and set it ablaze. This led to the extremely fast spread of the fire throughout the flat with no escape route possible.
| Bohumín arson attack | |
|---|---|
View of the top part of the attacked building (11 August 2020) | |
| Location | Nerudova Street, Bohumín, Czech Republic |
| Date | 8 August 2020 c. 5:45 p.m. |
Attack type | Familicide, mass murder, arson |
| Weapons | Gasoline (8 liters) |
| Deaths | 11 |
| Injured | 15 |
| Perpetrator | Zdeněk Konopka |
| Verdict | Sentenced to life imprisonment |
The fire killed six people on the 11th story of the 13-story building. Four people managed to save themselves by climbing through balconies to a nearby flat. Five more people, all of them already on fire, jumped to their deaths out of a window from a room without a balcony. Casualties included three children. The perpetrator's son, grandson, soon-to-be daughter-in-law and estranged wife all died. The perpetrator suffered burn wounds on his hands and legs.