The number of deaths of children in fires has increased in Russia since the beginning of this year compared to 2020, the press service of the Emergencies Ministry said in response to a TASS request.
The department noted that in 80% of cases, the dead children were under 10 years old.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations added that the main causes of death of children in fires are poisoning with toxic combustion products. They stressed that half of the fires in which children die are due to violations of the rules for the installation and operation of electrical equipment. More than a third of fires are caused by careless fire handling.
According to the ministry, houses made of wood and timber, especially barracks, as well as dilapidated housing, are at the greatest risk of fires.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations called autonomous fire detectors, which are donated to large families, as one way of protecting against fire. In just four years, over 445,000 such devices have been installed in the homes of large families, the ministry said. Their timely operation helped save over 1.6 thousand people, more than half of whom are children.
In the last two weeks alone, there have been two major fires in Russia with the death of children. On April 15, in a private house in the village of Byzovo, Sverdlovsk region, five children died in a fire, two more children and three adults were injured. The deterioration of the electrical wiring could become the cause of the fire. On April 23, in the village of Utes, Chusovsky District, Perm Territory, four children left unattended were killed in a fire.