The Ministry of Emergency Situations informs!

April 18, 2025

With the onset of warm weather, dry grass fires turn into a man-made disaster. Sometimes grass is deliberately burned to clear the territory of unwanted vegetation, and sometimes the cause of grass fires is carelessness, negligence, or even hooliganism of adults who have "enough sense" to throw an unextinguished cigarette butt out of a car window, leave an unextinguished campfire after a picnic, or even start burning grass just because. Many consider this a harmless procedure, but the consequences can be catastrophic. Year after year, rescuers extinguish hundreds of fires associated with seasonal fires.

According to tradition, when tidying up their backyards, people begin to burn the accumulated winter garbage, last year's grass and leaves. All this is fraught with fires and, as statistics show, with the death of people during the burning of dry grass and combustible waste. The danger of spring fires lies in the fact that under gusts of wind, the fire quickly spreads over considerable distances and engulfs residential buildings, outbuildings, and hectares of open territory. The elements do not spare people either.

For reference. Seven people died from grass fires in the republic.

With the establishment of warm weather, some residents of the district, burning withered grass and garbage, cause fires. In the Gluboksky district, as a result of burning dry vegetation, three outbuildings were destroyed, and one was damaged. For the current period, there have been 39 calls to fires of dry vegetation, fires, and other fires.

To prevent an emergency situation involving fire, simple safety rules should be observed when lighting campfires and cooking on a grill (barbecue), namely:

– use special devices for cooking, campfires should be lit under the condition of ensuring continuous monitoring of the burning and smoldering process; the campfire pit must be dug around.

– waste can only be burned in calm weather;

– designated campfire sites shall be cleared of combustible substances and materials, dry vegetation, and equipped with extinguishing agents;

– the burning and smoldering process shall be carried out in such a way that flames and sparks do not fall on combustible elements of buildings, outbuildings and structures, as well as on stored combustible substances and materials;

– upon completion of the burning process, the remnants of burning (smoldering) materials shall be extinguished until smoldering completely ceases.

– campfires shall not be allowed on peat soils, under tree crowns;

– campfires and the use of special devices for cooking shall not be allowed on balconies, loggias, terraces, roofs, and stilobates, except in cases where their placement is provided for by the design documentation;

– burning of standing dry vegetation on adjacent territories, land plots provided for collective gardening or dacha construction shall not be allowed.

It should be remembered that burning of standing dry vegetation, crop residues, as well as failure to take measures to extinguish fires entails administrative liability from 10 to 30 basic units. In case of damage in a particularly large amount, criminal liability is incurred.

If you notice a fire, do not pass by. Burning grass can be extinguished on your own. If it is impossible to extinguish the fire on your own, move to a safe place and urgently notify the Ministry of Emergency Situations units by phone 101, 112.

Take care of yourself, your loved ones, your home, and nature!