Fire in nursing home claims two lives

Pribor, North Moravia, Jan 21 (CTK) - Two Czech elderly women died and another four people were hospitalised after a fire broke out in a nursing home Monday, local police spokesman Petr Gres has told CTK.

The firefighters and police evacuated 20 people, Gres said.

"We do not yet know the cause of the tragic fire. The police and firefighters are checking the flat in which the fire started," he added.

Relatives have fetched some of the evacuated seniors, while others have found shelter in a local school, Gres said.

Moravia-Silesia firefighters' spokesman Petr Kudela has told CTK that the two women, victims of the fire, were from the nursing home.

"The fire was on the second floor. We estimate the damage at least at 500,000 crowns," Kudela said.