Abnormal Frosts Cause Increase in Primorye Fires
Abnormal cold weather that has settled in Primorye Krai this winter has become one of the key reasons for the increase in the number of fires in Vladivostok and other municipalities in the region. This information was confirmed to a VLADIVOSTOK1.RU journalist by the main directorate of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) for Primorye Krai.
According to the agency, since the beginning of 2026, 397 fires have been extinguished in the territory of the krai. Despite this figure being lower than last year«s (534 fires occurred in the same period in 2025), the load on emergency services remains high due to severe frosts.
On New Year«s Eve alone, 33 fires occurred in Primorye Krai. The lives of three residents of Primorye were cut short by fire.
In Vladivostok, several major fires occurred in the first month of the year. Last Friday, January 16, the entire city waited with bated breath for the evacuation of a man from the 9th floor of the burning Ignat Business Center. The man was blocked by smoke and soot — a fire broke out in the kitchen of a North Korean restaurant on the first floor.
On the evening of the same day, furniture warehouses caught fire on Pogranichnaya Street. A second-rank fire covering an area of 280 square meters was extinguished only after several hours. And a day later, firefighters extinguished a Vietnamese cuisine cafe «Chikien».
In December, residential buildings, historical buildings, and popular modern ones caught fire in Vladivostok every few days. For example, on December 3, the roof of a house on Uborevicha Street caught fire — the fire covered an area of about 400 square meters. On December 11, an annex with a recording studio attached to the «Concert Hall» building caught fire.
On December 18, flames destroyed the Sea Sea restaurant, and on December 21, a fire occurred in a historical building where the Crust restaurant is located. On New Year«s Eve, December 29, 11 citizens lost their homes due to a fire in the Smiths» House.
EMERCOM explained that the main reason for the increase in the number of fires in winter is extremely low temperatures, due to which residents massively use electric heaters and stove heating. This leads to serious wear on power grids — according to specialists« estimates, their load reaches 95%. Moreover, in cold conditions, people often overheat stoves, violating fire safety rules.
«There are several factors: high load on power grids, old wiring in the housing stock, and active use of heating appliances in frosts. All this together increases the risk of fires,» noted the regional EMERCOM directorate.
A separate concern for rescuers is the statistics on fatalities. Since the beginning of the year, 15 people have died as a result of fires, of which 13 were due to careless handling of fire while smoking. The agency emphasized that the human factor still remains one of the most common causes of tragedies.
Rescuers urge residents of Primorye to observe fire safety measures, not to overload power grids, monitor the condition of wiring and heating appliances, and also be especially careful when using open fire in the cold season.
Earlier we wrote that on January 15, a gas explosion occurred in a private house on Vorovskogo Street in Ussuriysk. The building was completely destroyed, three people were under the rubble: a woman died, her daughter and son-in-law received severe injuries. They are being treated in the city hospital. More details about the incident can be found in our story via the link.
