Gas explosion in Cieszyn. Expert Przemysław Rembielak about the rescue operation

About 30 fire brigades are working at the site of the construction disaster on Wiedza Street in Cieszyn, where a tenement house collapsed on Sunday morning. Because there may be two people in the rubble, a specialized search and rescue group from Jastrzębie-Zdrój with rescue dogs operates there.

Why didn't they enter the rubble immediately?

Professional firefighter Przemysław Rembielak from the Poznań Search and Rescue Group, with over 20 years of experience and 50 foreign missions under his belt, explained on TVN24 that a lot of forces are always gathered on site to replace rescuers. However, there should be a minimum number of people on the rubble site itself, as many as necessary, because one of the elements of such an action is the safety of the place

– This place is dangerous, therefore firefighters should not be brought there, and at the same time two missing people are a signal that they should be brought in – said Rembielak.

The rescuers from Jastrzębie are experts in the field of structure stabilization and, according to Rembielak, this is what they will do first in Cieszyn. There are still elements hanging in the collapsed tenement house that may fall on your head during the operation and need to be demolished.

As Rembielak said, the gas explosion demolishes the structure of the building. – An ordinary fire burns out the structure, and if it is weakened it may collapse. The explosion destroys structural elements, tears out anchors and knocks down ceiling beams.

This means that the tenement house may continue to slide and neighboring buildings are at risk.

According to the expert, the advantage of the operation at Wiedza Street is the fact that the front wall collapsed at the initial stage, because it will not surprise the rescuers with a sudden collapse. But the remaining walls may also collapse – due to the load of water poured during the firefighting operation.

The expert noted that “the danger zone extends several dozen meters around the rubble, because fragments of bricks” of a two- or three-story building can fly that far.

We need to remove secondary threats and disconnect the gas, the expert said. But it is not enough to turn off the valve, which may be far from the tenement house, the gas may still remain in the pipes, escape from the rubble and increase the danger.

Only after securing the rubble, can you enter it with a rescue dog, which should locate living people. Not dead people who can be pulled out at the end. – A dog is an irreplaceable rescue tool. No electronic device has a nose like a dog's, said the expert.

What devices can be used in the action?

Drones – to view the situation from above, up close. But they won't give a good image in smoke. That's why drones with thermal cameras are used.

Total stations – used to measure the deviation of building structures from the vertical, they show whether the building continues to deflect, even by microns, and poses a threat. – If something starts to collapse, everyone has to get out of there – said the expert.

– This action will not proceed very quickly, but very carefully, because rushing may cost the lives of other people – emphasized the firefighter.

The rescuers will go step by step to reach each place and check it thoroughly. They will be dressed differently than the firefighters who extinguished the fire. Their equipment cannot be heavy, their helmets cannot cover their ears, they must hear each other and hear the cracking of wooden elements. Shoes must be comfortable, trekking shoes. They are usually equipped with thin, specular cameras with their own lighting, which can look into the smallest cracks.

– The operation will not end until it is certain that there is no living person there – emphasized Rembielak.

Rescuers use shovels, shovels and crowbars. They work by hand, wearing goggles to protect them from splinters. Heavy equipment is brought to the rubble site at the very end, when it is already known that there are no living people there.