Dry vegetation

The number of fires during the spring fire hazard period significantly increases. If an average of about 70 fires are registered per month, in April their number exceeds 100. The main objects during this period are outbuildings, summer houses, and garden houses, which account for more than 60% of fires.

There are frequent cases where citizens suffer serious burns as a result of carelessness when lighting bonfires, burning garbage, or attempting to extinguish dry vegetation on their own. Last year, 11 people were injured under such circumstances. In some cases, carelessness leads to more severe consequences.

For instance, on June 15, 2023, a family (husband and wife born in 1964 and 1963) from Novopolotsk was at their summer house in the village of Charchitsy in the Shumilino district, cleaning up the area and lit a fire to burn garbage. After a while, they noticed that the fire was out of control, and dry vegetation caught fire. They attempted to extinguish it with improvised means. The woman, losing sight of her husband, later found him lying in the burning grass. She tried to help him, extinguished the fire, but by that time the man was without signs of life.

It was established that the family had a positive reputation, did not consume alcoholic beverages, and did not smoke. The deceased worked as a dispatcher for the emergency dispatch service of the Novopolotsk Housing and Utilities Enterprise. The man, who attempted to extinguish the fire on his own, did not assess his physical capabilities and did not take into account certain health issues (diabetes, was taking insulin, complained of heart pain), which contributed to his death while extinguishing dry vegetation.

As a result of the negligence of adults, minors suffer.

On July 8, 2023, in the village of Torchilovo in the Orsha district, a minor born in 2014 was injured. From the circumstances, it was established that the injured child was at the summer house with his mother and sisters. The mother left the younger daughter in the shade near the buildings in a baby carrier and, together with the older children, tried to light a fire for cooking shashlik. At some point, the mother went to the younger daughter, and the older children stayed by the fire. At that time, since the fire was not catching, the child brought a plastic container from home, placed it near the fire with the lid open. As a result of a gasoline flash, the child's clothing (shorts) and legs caught fire. The result was thermal burns to the left upper limb, torso, and lower limbs (40% of the body) and first-degree burn shock.

On July 31, while jumping over a fire in the village of Tarasenkі, a minor born in 2009 was injured. From the circumstances, it was established that the girl, along with her younger brothers, was visiting her grandmother. The minors were playing by the fire (the grandmother was burning garbage) in the yard. The girl attempted to jump over the fire, stumbled, and fell into it. The result was thermal burns from the flames to both lower limbs, both forearms, covering an area of (23% of the body), burn disease: shock of 1-2 degrees.