Man dies in burned down college in the center of Odesa

Police have begun investigating the death of a man whose body was found on August 18 on the territory of the burned-out building of the Odesa College of Economics, Law and Hotel and Restaurant Business on Troitska Street.

As the police told Intent, the investigation was launched under Part 1 of Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (premeditated murder).

The deceased has not yet been identified, and the preliminary cause of death is believed to be a fall. The police also noted that they had not confirmed the man's involvement in the theft of an air conditioner from the building, as reported by a number of Telegram channels.

The six-story building at 25 Troitska Street in the center of Odesa, which housed the Odesa College of Economics, Law and Hotel and Restaurant Business, as well as a number of institutions and companies, caught fire on December 4, 2019, at about 11:10 a.m. The fire killed 16 people, six of whom were children. It was only on December 14 of that year that rescuers finished clearing the rubble at the fire site.

As part of the investigation into this tragedy, law enforcement officials have ordered 70 examinations. These include forensic, construction, fire, electrical, and complex fire and technical examinations.

In March 2021, members of the Odesa City Hall agreed to accept the building on the city's balance sheet, as requested by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. However, in September 2021, Judge Viktor Poprevych denied the motion to lift the seizure of the Asvadurov building. The petition to lift the arrest and transfer the building to the balance sheet of the city council was filed with the court by Oleh Syvolobtsev, a lawyer at the Odesa College of Economics, Law and Hotel and Restaurant Business. It was about the premises that were in permanent use of the institution and belonged to the Ministry of Education and Science. This is approximately 2,870 square meters.

In 2020, the management of the Odesa State Administration is preparing an appeal to the Ministry of Education to allocate funds for the conservation of the building.

Кирило Бойко