At the beginning of 2025, we proudly delivered 10 Colossus firefighting robots in collaboration with our partner 3MON, equipping Slovakia’s firefighters with cutting-edge technology. Just a few weeks later, one of these robots played a crucial role in responding to a major fire.
Our partner 3MON covered the full story in detail—read their article here:
« On February 28, 2025, a large-scale fire broke out in the village of Hustopeče nad Bečvou in the Olomouc region, involving railway tanks carrying benzene. Due to the high danger posed by this chemical, a special fire alarm level was declared and fire-fighting units from across the region rushed to the scene.
Initial Deployment and Escalation:
The first units arrived shortly after the fire was reported at 11:39 a.m. The situation quickly escalated, and by 1:00 p.m., the number of intervention units had increased to 29. By 2:00 p.m., 39 units were registered, including 12 from the Olomouc fire department and 17 from the Moravian-Silesian and Zlín regions. For the first time in history, airborne equipment from the Czech police was also deployed, making a total of 50 water drops using a Bambi bucket.
Nature of the Fire and Danger of Benzene:
Benzene is a toxic, highly flammable liquid with carcinogenic effects. When burning, it releases soot and potentially dangerous fumes. Firefighters took extraordinary measures, including sending warning SMS to nearby residents and having the air monitored by a chemical laboratory from Frenštát pod Radhoštěm. Preliminary analysis showed that air samples were negative.
Internation cooporation
Due to the scale of the fire, additional support was requested from Slovakia. Slovak firefighters and rescuers deployed specialized equipment, including a high-capacity CAS 40 Tatra 815-7 10×10 tanker truck, known as « The Beast, » and the COLOSSUS firefighting robot. Slovak units actively participated in extinguishing the flames, with the COLOSSUS robot used for scene monitoring and identifying critical areas through thermal imaging. »
Read the full article here
