Since the beginning of the year, more than 8,500 fires have occurred in the residential sector amid increased use of power generators and backup power sources, said Anatoliy Shkarbuta, deputy head of the Fire Safety Department of the Emergency Prevention Department of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine , during a briefing on Monday, UNN reports.
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"With the onset of this period, when the enemy started shelling... the number of fires in Ukraine has increased significantly, because people started using both power generators and backup power sources. For example, in the residential sector, which suffers the most, there have been more than 8,500 fires since the beginning of the year. Damages from these fires exceeded UAH 4 billion, more than 550 people died, about 500 people were injured, unfortunately, among them 38 children," Shkarbuta said in response to a question about fires related to the fact that people started using additional means for heating, lighting, and cooking.
He noted that since the beginning of the year, more than 26,000 fires have occurred, excluding the residential sector. Fires occur for various reasons, one of the main ones being violation of the rules for operating electrical equipment.
"Everyone has a lot of backup power sources, so when the power goes out, the number of fires from these sources increases significantly," Shkarbuta said.