Heating Pipe Burst in Freezing Bodaibo Cuts Heat Again

In Bodaibo, a heating pipe burst overnight on February 5, leaving homes that had been reconnected after the utility accident cold again. Emergency crews are now on site and plan to fix everything within the day. This was reported by Bodaibo and District Mayor Evgeny Yumashev, whose statement was published on the local administration’s Telegram channel.

In a video, Evgeny Yumashev described the situation as of the morning of February 5.

“A lot of work was done overnight — we freed the supply networks of the BMK boiler house from an ice plug. Now this heat source is operating in a warm mode. The plan for today: we are expecting a slight warming so that we can fill the system with water and try to connect School No. 3 and the correctional school. These facilities are fully ready to receive heat,” said Evgeny Yumashev.

Three homes on Sadovaya Street, which had been connected to heating on February 4, were left without it again after the heating pipe burst during the “thawing process.”

“To fix the rupture, we had to temporarily shut down the boiler house. Specialized crews, including professional welders from the company Vysochaishy, are now on site. New shut-off valves are being installed. We plan to start up this section today and connect four houses,” Yumashev added.

According to him, the Mostootryad boiler house is operating in hot mode, and today they plan to connect three homes on Solnechnaya Street.

“Work continues around the clock, but it is accompanied by such emergency situations. Every new rupture is a forced pause and a new difficult repair. The MK-135 boiler house — start-up work is underway,” Yumashev emphasized.

Problems with heating and hot water have been observed in Bodaibo for eight days. The central water supply has frozen, leaving more than 1,300 people without heat. Governor Igor Kobzev called the situation in the city critical and sent his first deputy Roman Kolesov and the Minister of Housing Policy and Energy Anatoly Nikitin there. A state of emergency was introduced in the city on January 31.

Residents of Bodaibo have described how they survive in their homes without heating in forty-degree frosts (-40°F). Some apartments have already thawed out. In addition, residents have united and created a mutual aid chat, bringing each other food, water, and heaters. The mayor of Bodaibo has requested federal funds to relocate residents from emergency homes that have fallen into the emergency zone.

Residents have also begun panicking over the frozen sewage system. Evgeny Yumashev noted that the main task now is to provide heat to homes, while a representative of the management company advised enduring the temporary difficulties. At the same time, residents were asked not to use hot water for now so as not to disrupt restoration work. Starting February 5, all residents in the emergency zone should begin receiving financial assistance.

We are collecting all news related to the utility accident in Bodaibo in a separate special section.