EMERCOM: Mortality from fires is rising in the Nizhny Novgorod region

      June 10, 2026 14:00 Incidents The number of man-made fires in the Nizhny Novgorod region has decreased by 23% since the beginning of 2026, however, the number of fatalities continues to rise. This was reported at a press conference on June 10 by the Deputy Chief State Inspector of the Nizhny Novgorod region for fire supervision, Colonel of the Internal Service Sergey Bolshakov. The event was attended by a correspondent from NIA "Nizhny Novgorod." According to Bolshakov, about 90% of all man-made fires in the region occur in residential areas. Residential houses and apartments account for 70% of all fire-related fatalities. Despite the decrease in the overall number of fires, the situation regarding the consequences remains alarming. The deaths of children particularly concern the emergency services. "This year, three fires with multiple fatalities have already been registered, including the deaths of five children," Sergey Bolshakov reported. He noted that the main causes of domestic fires are well known. Most often, tragedies are caused by careless handling of fire, emergency operation of electrical equipment, and violations of heating appliance operation rules. According to the representative of the emergency services, the problem lies not in a lack of information, but in people's attitudes towards fire safety issues. Sergey Bolshakov cited data from a sociological study, according to which autonomous smoke detectors are installed in only 28% of the population. Of these, 17% of citizens purchased and installed them independently, while another 11% received devices along with their housing from the developer. The remaining 72% either do not know about such devices or believe that a fire will not affect them. The emergency services remind that an autonomous smoke detector is designed for the early detection of fires. It reacts to smoke and is especially important at night when people are asleep. According to Sergey Bolshakov, the loud sound signal of the device can wake not only the residents of the apartment or house but also the neighbors. The agency representative emphasized that such detectors should be installed in apartments, private homes, and garden houses, as they allow for timely detection of fires and increase the chances of saving lives. It was previously reported that the number of landscape fires in the Nizhny Novgorod region has decreased sixfold. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" has channels on Telegram and MAX. Subscribe to stay informed about the main events, exclusive materials, and operational information. Copyright © 1999—2025 NIA "Nizhny Novgorod". When reprinting, a hyperlink to NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" is mandatory. This resource may contain materials 18+