Khanty-Mansiysk Child Fire Deaths Rise 66%

The Emergency Situations Ministry of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug (KhMAO) released fire statistics for the first six months of 2026. In the half-year, 36 residents died in fires, a 24.1% increase compared to the same period in 2025 (29 deaths).

The number of child deaths increased by 66.7%: five minors died in 2026 compared to three in 2025. In the first half of the year, 1,048 fires were recorded, an 11.5% increase from the previous year.

The number of people injured in fires decreased by 9.4% — to 29, including one child.

Firefighting units rescued 149 people, including 46 children. A total of 2,135 people, including 345 children, were evacuated from fire sites. Most fires — 554 cases — and the majority of deaths (30) and one-third of injuries (9) occurred in residential homes. Another 14.6% of fires (153 incidents) occurred in vehicles.

The main cause of residential fires was violations of electrical equipment installation and operation rules (61.4%). Another 16.1% were due to careless handling of fire, 15.2% to improper use of stoves, and 2% to arson.

Earlier, we reported that the number of children who drowned in KhMAO doubled compared to the previous year.