Fire Safety Violations Lead to Tragic Nursing Home Fire in Ukraine

Law enforcement officers have served a notice of suspicion of violation of fire safety requirements established by law, which caused a fire to the head of one of the departments responsible for fire safety in the village council of Berezovsky district due to a fire in a social service center that killed three people.

This was reported by the press service of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Odesa Oblast.

The tragedy occurred on February 11 in the evening in a one-story nursing home in Berezovsky district. Three residents aged 53, 76, and 77, who were unable to move independently, died. Another 17 citizens aged 45 to 85 were hospitalized with combustion products poisoning.

The fire, which started in one of the rooms, was extinguished by officers of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. During the pre-trial investigation, the police found that the fire spread rapidly due to a malfunction of the fire warning system, lack of fire extinguishing equipment and other violations of fire safety rules that the responsible person knew about and had to eliminate, but did not do so. As a result, the victims were unable to leave the building in time.

Having gathered sufficient evidence, investigators from the regional police investigation department notified the head of the residential care unit of the communal institution, who was responsible for fire safety in the building, of suspicion under Article 270 (2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. This is a violation of fire safety requirements established by law, which led to a fire that caused damage to human health and death. This crime is punishable by imprisonment for up to eight years.

The suspect has been granted a pre-trial restraint.

Кирило Бойко