Alarmingly High Fire Incidents in Odesa Region
Since the beginning of 2025, the Odesa region has reported 7,656 fires, resulting in the deaths of 55 individuals, including two children. Additionally, 130 people sustained injuries, of which nine were children and nine were rescuers. This information was provided by the press service of the Odesa City Council.
The highest number of fatalities from fires has been noted in the Odesa, Podilskyi, and Berezivskyi districts. The majority of victims are pensioners and unemployed individuals over the age of 61.
The main causes of these fires include careless handling of fire, particularly while smoking under the influence of alcohol, as well as violations of electrical installation operation rules and poor maintenance of stoves. The estimated direct material losses from fires exceed 2 billion 490 million hryvnias.
Rescuers urged citizens to adhere to fire safety regulations at home, including:
- ensuring heating sources are safe before the heating season starts;
- timely cleaning of chimneys and stoves from soot and checking for cracks;
- during the heating season, monitoring stoves and never leaving them unattended, especially prohibiting children from being left alone at home with a lit stove;
- cleaning heating stoves periodically, at least once every three months; a metal sheet sized no less than 0.5 x 0.7 m should be fixed on the combustible floor in front of each stove;
- stoves and other heating devices must have fire safety separations from combustible structures;
- do not use uncertified or homemade heating devices; do not place heating devices directly under electrical outlets or in evacuation routes;
- avoid plugging multiple electrical devices into an extension cord at once, as the electrical network may not withstand the overload; do not leave young children unattended and do not allow them to play with matches or lighters;
- do not use electric heaters for drying clothes or other materials; do not leave electric heating devices on when leaving the house; do not smoke in bed.
Citizens were also reminded of the safety rules when using gas burners, noting that all gas cylinders are single-use. Key rules include:
- do not leave cylinders in direct sunlight;
- remove the cylinder from the gas burner away from open flames;
- keep burners away from children and flammable objects;
- carefully read instructions and safety guidelines before use.
