MOSCOW, March 31 (RIA Novosti) – Five people were killed after a fire broke out at a private house in the central Russian town of Ryazan, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday.
“The fire erupted on Sunday morning … in a house that belonged to a 40-year-old female resident of the regional center. As a result of the blaze, five people were killed in the fire,” the ministry said in a statement.
The fire completely destroyed the one-storey wooden house. The identities of the victims and the causes of the fire are being established.
Negligence, careless smoking and reluctance to comply with fire safety rules are the most frequent causes of residential building fires across Russia. The number of house fires has risen dramatically in the country since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Fire safety has been in the spotlight in Russia in recent years after a number of high-profile blazes. Over 150 people were killed in a fire at a nightclub in the Urals in December 2009.
