The Main Investigations Directorate of the Russia’s Investigative Committee continues investigation in mass wildfires in Khakassia that happened on 12 April 2015 and killed 31 people in Shira, Ust-Abakan, Beya and Ordzhonikidze Districts. In addition, over 1.5 thousand victims applied for medical aid, over 1.5 thousand houses were burned down, over 50 houses were damaged by the wildfires and 1.6 thousand other buildings were burned.
Head of Novoyeniseysk Soviet of the village, Beya District, Khakassia Tatyana Petrova, Head of Yefremkino Soviet of the village, Shira District, Khakassia Natalya Vrazovskaya and Head of Shira District, Khakassia Sergey Zaytsev depending on the role of each one are charged with crimes under parts 1 and 3 of article 293 of the RF Penal Code (negligence).
According to investigators, in the period between August 2014 and April 2015, aware that wildfires were going to burn in spring in Khakassia and it was necessary to take measures to prevent fires from spreading onto settlements, failed to arrange for fireproof areas to be created around Novoyeniseysk and the village of Dmitriyevka, Beya District, by cutting out trees, digging fire lines or other available protective obstacles. Besides, she failed to ensure that there were emergency warning means or to organize for the evacuation plane to be organized. This is why a wildfire that had started in Beya District spread freely and in a short time onto Novoyeniseysk and Dmitriyevka with dry and windy weather and with no fireproof obstacles. 5 people were killed in the fire and the residents suffered great material losses when the fire destroyed or damaged their properties.
In her turn, according to the information available to the investigators, Vrazovskaya in the period between November 2014 and April 2015, failed to arrange for an unauthorized dump, which was a potential source of a fire, failed to take measures against wildfires such as digging fire lines or making any other obstacles to stave off the fires from the village of Troshkin, Yefremkino Soviet of the village, Shira District. As a result, an uncontrolled blaze started at the dump and spread to the village. The residents suffered massive material damage as the fire burned houses and buildings in the village.
The investigators also found negligence in the omission of Zaytsev, who in the period between March 2012 and April 2015, failed to make Shira District Administration to provide a single emergency call service with emergency warning means. Besides he failed to ensure that the district administration had taken civil defense measures in order to plan, prepare for and train evacuation, to create and organize the activity of evacuation bodies and to train their personnel. As a result, on 12 April 2015, when the wildfires came close to the village, elderly people who had stayed at home because there were no warning systems could not save themselves as there was no evacuation organized. 7 people died due to Zaytsev’s negligence.
Earlier, the charges of a crime under part 3 of article 293 of the RF Penal Code (negligence) were pressed against Chief of Shira District fire service department Viktor Zenkov, Chief of Khakassian fire service Anatoly Zayarny, head of Shira Soviet of the village Yuri Kovalyov.
The investigation is ongoing.
Head of Media Relations V.I. Markin
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