A child's prank with fire nearly led to the death of a child
On May 3, 2022, at 20:07, the Central Operations Unit of the Braslav Emergency Situations Ministry received a report of a fire in an apartment located at 49, 40th Anniversary of Victory Street, Apt. 2, in the village of Bohino, Dalekovsky S/S, Braslav District.
Upon arrival at the scene at 20:23, the first fire truck observed heavy smoke coming from the window of an apartment located on the second floor of a two-story building. Four autonomous fire detectors were installed in the apartment, which were activated.
The owner, a mother of many children, was on maternity leave caring for a child under three years old, born in 1992. She lives in the apartment with six children: born in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021. She raises the children alone, as her husband passed away in December 2021. At the time of the fire, five minors were left unsupervised in the apartment. According to the mother, she went to the town of Vidzy to pick up medicine from acquaintances for her youngest child.
According to the older children of the owner, they wanted to light the boiler and were carrying firewood (stored in the yard of the house in an outbuilding), while their younger brother was playing with matches in the boiler room and set fire to the trash on the floor. The sisters began to call for help. At that time, Daniil Kapusta, born in 2006, a student of the State Educational Institution "Vidzy Secondary School," was walking down the street. He ran into the apartment where three children were, wrapped the youngest child in a blanket, and took him in his arms, telling the others to go ahead of him out of the house.
As a result of the fire, the boiler room measuring 2x5 m was charred, and the ceiling in the corridor measuring 1.5x3 m was also charred. The apartment is suitable for further living.
The cause of the fire is being established. The version being considered for the cause of the fire is children's mischief with fire.
Why do fires occur due to children's mischief with fire? When considering each case of a child's death, one understands that ordinary life circumstances accompanied the tragedies – parents went to work, to the store, to neighbors, or were engaged in household chores in the yard. In other words, children were left unsupervised. And then comes the irreparable and cruel outcome of parental negligence: the death of a child.
Children often imitate the actions and behaviors of adults in their play. The desire for independence is especially pronounced when a child is left alone. And one cannot be sure that a child, left alone at home, will not decide to play with a box of matches, will not want to set fire to paper, or will not be interested in the operation of household appliances, which are plentiful in every apartment.
Therefore, before leaving home, it is necessary to entrust the supervision of the child to older children or to an adult. To prevent the child from getting bored, it is advisable to give them some task: suggest a game theme, select the necessary toys. It is especially dangerous to leave children alone in locked apartments or rooms. In the event of a fire, they will not be able to exit the burning premises on their own. Moreover, when escaping from fire and smoke, children usually hide in closets, under beds, tables, and in corners of rooms. Finding children in a fire development situation is a challenging task.
Skills for careful handling of fire must be instilled in children starting from the age of 4-5. It is essential to strive for the child to understand that matches are not toys, and fire is not a joke, so that they develop an impression of fire as a serious disaster for people.
Preschool and younger school-aged children, especially boys, love to use matches and flammable objects in their games. Children lack life experience, and therefore they cannot foresee the consequences of their actions. The most common games among children are those related to starting fires. They choose appropriate places for making fires – away from parental eyes – in attics, sheds, basements, outbuildings, and near haystacks. While the fire is small, the child observes what is happening; as soon as the fire takes on frightening proportions, which happens within minutes, the natural reaction is fear, followed by the urge to hide. Fearing parental anger and punishment, some children run away and hide elsewhere. Most, however, cover their faces with their hands out of fear and remain forever trapped in the flames.
Children suffer from fire due to their unpreparedness. A child does not know how to behave in the event of a fire, what actions to take, whom to ask for help, and most importantly, how to save themselves. And in this, adults are primarily to blame. Proper upbringing of children in the family, instilling in them skills for careful handling of fire, and organizing their leisure time are the keys to preventing fires and avoiding child injuries. Children should be taught the rules of safe handling of fire, not just told what is allowed and what is not. Unfortunately, in families, teaching children fire safety measures is often limited to prohibitive shouts: "Don't touch the matches, put the box back!", "Don't turn on the electric stove!", "Don't go near the gas stove!". However, children naturally have to use gas and electric stoves, and other electrical appliances (televisions, irons, etc.) in their daily lives, which can cause fires. Therefore, when communicating with children, the emphasis should be placed not on prohibitions but on explanations.
Where and how a child spends their leisure time, who they befriend, and what games they engage in – these questions should be a constant concern for parents.
Instilling a sense of personal safety in a child should be done with a sense of measure. Conversations on these topics should be conducted in a friendly manner. Education will not be in vain if the peculiarities of child psychology and individual characteristics of the child are taken into account, explaining and demonstrating through examples, games, films (animated films), pictures, and real-life situations.
Explain the purpose of each device, how to use it correctly, and what precautions to take. Tell them that improper use of this device can cause a fire.
Once again, we draw parents' attention to the fact that children should not just be "protected from fire": do not leave them alone without supervision, do not allow them to play with matches and electrical appliances. It is necessary to teach children the rules of handling fire sources and actions in case of fire.
Measures to prevent fires from children's mischief: do not leave matches, lighters, and allow children to buy matches or cigarettes in plain sight. Monitor how children spend their time and do not leave them unsupervised. Do not trust small children to observe burning stoves and heating appliances, or to use gas appliances. Teach your child your home address and phone number so that they can independently call for help from the rescue service if necessary. Next to the phone, write down the emergency service numbers on a piece of paper and explain to the child under what circumstances they can be used.
Dear parents! Take care of your children – try to organize their leisure time, especially during the summer period. Teach them the rules of safe behavior. Children should have a happy childhood! And you are primarily responsible for that.
View all