Four die in Irkutsk fires amid freezing temperatures

Four people died in fires in Irkutsk and the Irkutsk District overnight on 21 January. The fires occurred on Kalinina Street in the regional center and in the settlement of Novo-Irkutsk. Overnight temperatures dropped below -35°C (-31°F), and the fires were caused by a house stove and an overloaded electrical circuit. All the victims were over 65 years old, according to the press service of the Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) for Irkutsk Region.

Late in the evening on Kalinina Street, a flat in a two-flat residential building caught fire. Two people evacuated from the burning building. Firefighters found an 88-year-old woman and a 67-year-old man on the floor. The fire, which covered 42 square meters, was extinguished by 11 firefighters and three water tankers. Investigators determined that the cause was a violation of stove operation rules.

A private log house caught fire the same evening on Denis Davydov Street in Novo-Irkutsk. Fifteen people and four pieces of equipment were involved in the response. During the firefighting, the bodies of an 88-year-old man and an 85-year-old woman were found in the house. The cause of the fire was an overloaded electrical circuit. The fire area was 156 square meters.

Both houses lacked fire alarms, EMERCOM added.