Fire claims 8 lives in Czech city of Brno

Eight people died in an overnight fire in Brno, the second-largest city in the Czech Republic, the local fire rescue service said Thursday.

The fire broke out after 2am (0000 GMT) in portable buildings in the city and was put out at around 7am (0500 GMT), according to the fire rescue service.

"The fire has tragic consequences. We found eight victims inside," the rescue service said in a tweet, adding that "the cause and amount of damage are under investigation."

Czech Police said in a tweet that preliminary results of the inspection showed the building was intended for demolition but some people entered it without authorization.

"After the fire broke out, they couldn't find a way out of the heavily smoky area. According to the owner, the building was empty yesterday afternoon. Homeless people were using it to sleep," said the police.

The Czech News Agency (CTK) reported that photographs on mapping portals show the portable buildings had remained on the site for some time and were unused. Some local media reports said the victims are likely homeless people.

The police are investigating the identities of the victims.

According to the CTK, police officers and firefighters were still on the scene around noon, searching the site of the tragedy. The fire site remained cordoned off.

"I am very sorry for everyone who died in the tragic fire in BrNo... My sincere condolences to all relatives and friends," Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala tweeted Thursday morning following the tragedy.

Brno is located about 200 km southeast of the Czech capital Prague.