The district court in Kroměříž started hearing the case of the explosion of a family house in Koryčany in the Kroměříž region the year before last, in which two volunteer firefighters died, 16. March 2023, Kroměříž. In the picture is the accused Hynek Šípek.
Kroměříž – Thirty-one-year-old Hynek Šípek, who, according to the indictment, caused the tragic explosion of the family home in Koryčany in the Kroměříž region the year before last, admitted before the Kroměříž district court that he had accidentally drilled a gas pipe before the accident. He regretted his act, stated that he tried to prevent the explosion. In the explosion, two volunteer firemen who intervened were killed, and four other people, including two firemen and the defendant, were injured. Šípka faces two to eight years in prison for reckless endangerment.
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Photo gallery: Case of the house explosion in Koryčany
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Šípka's wife was the owner of the house, the couple repaired it. According to public prosecutor Jiří Láníček, Šípek acted carelessly during the reconstruction work and used a drill to drill the gas pipe supply under the main gas shutoff. The indictment states that due to incompetent intervention, there was a massive gas leak and its accumulation in the house. Although, according to the prosecutor, Šípek tried to close the main gas valve and reported the matter to the emergency line of the gas company, an explosion occurred in the house, which destroyed it. “There was the influence of a technical defect consisting in the increased resistance transfer of the screw connection of the phase supply wire and the terminal of the main switch,” the prosecutor told reporters.
In front of the court today, Šípek stated that he agrees with the filed indictment, but not with the legal qualifications. “I don't understand it enough,” Šípek said. After the pipe was drilled, he smelled and heard a hissing sound. According to him, the gas leaked for about 15 minutes. After drilling the pipe, he called the gas company. “I think the lady just told me she was calling the fire department,” Šípek said. He also mentioned that he and the handyman from the neighboring house had closed the main valve of the main gas shut-off. “I tried to do everything I could,” the defendant said.
The man went on to mention that he tried to open the window and he thinks he succeeded. He sent his wife to the garden. According to him, the main circuit breaker was inside the family home. “I definitely turned off the main circuit breaker, I remember that,” Šípek said. According to him, no one turned on the electricity after that. After the arrival of volunteer firefighters, one of whom, according to the defendant, must have entered the house, an explosion occurred. Šípek did not know what was the immediate cause of the explosion.
Defender Jiří Hladík admitted that his client was to blame for the gas leak and the explosion. “However, in this case, it is borderline, the fundamental issue is that the firefighters responding to the scene were sent to the scene without being informed about the nature and extent of the accident. At least that is what follows from the Fire Rescue Service control protocol,” he said Smoother. According to him, the defendant prevented people from approaching the house. “He took all measures to ensure that nothing happened to anyone,” added the defense attorney.
The house in Masarykova Street exploded on September 15, 2021. The explosion completely destroyed it, and also significantly damaged two neighboring family houses. According to the indictment, the property damage amounted to almost 2.3 million crowns. The relatives of the victims and the injured, the city of Koryčany, health insurance companies and the social security administration are demanding in court approximately 18 million crowns as compensation for non-pecuniary damage. The main trial should continue on April 20, when the court plans to summon several witnesses.
