No dry grass fires

With the onset of spring, the fire season begins. Year after year, the same scenario repeats: as soon as dry spring weather sets in, people start tidying up their household plots, burning garbage and last year's grass. According to statistics, in 2020, 3,729 cases of grass and shrub burning were recorded over an area of 3,438 hectares. Rescuers extinguished 1,074 forest fires (6,543 hectares) and 225 peatland fires (88 hectares). Dry vegetation is disposed of by fire, without considering the consequences. Often, pensioners become victims of grass fires, as evidenced by numerous examples from operational reports:

March 29, 2020: in Korelichi district, a man was burning dry vegetation outside his farmstead. When the flames began to threaten buildings, he started to extinguish it himself. As a result, the pensioner's clothes caught fire. A neighbor called rescuers. The victim sustained burns to 30% of his body.

May 15, 2020: due to careless handling of fire while burning garbage, a fire occurred in the village of Losk, Volozhin district. A man was tidying up his house and decided to burn unnecessary items. He chose a spot five meters from the house and outbuilding. A spark flying from the bonfire caused the ignition. The pensioner called rescuers in time – only the outbuilding was damaged.

Since the beginning of the year, 3 grass and shrub fires have been extinguished in the region (Chashniki district – 1, Braslav district – 1, Vitebsk city – 1) over a total area of 2.1 hectares.

For reference: during the same period in 2020, the region registered: 1 forest fire over an area of 1.4 hectares, 43 grass and shrub fires over a total area of 40.89 hectares.

The problem of burning garbage and last year's grass holds a special place among the causes of fires. However, the desire to tidy up sometimes leads to the most severe consequences – human fatalities. For example, last year, while burning garbage in the village of Staroje Pashkovo, Mogilev district, a pensioner born in 1950 died, and in the village of Golovchitsy, Narovlya district, rescuers found the charred body of a pensioner born in 1935 while extinguishing a grass fire.

It should be noted that grass fires spread rapidly, especially on windy days. The fire flares up instantly, and it is very difficult to contain and stop. Dry grass fires can lead to fires in summer cottages and wooden houses. Last year's grass dries quickly in the strong spring sun and easily ignites from any discarded match or cigarette:

April 7, 2020: while fishing in Kamenets district, a man lit a cigarette and threw an unextinguished match into the grass. Within seconds, flames ignited near him. The man began to extinguish the fire with improvised means, as a result of which he sustained thermal burns.

March 18, 2020: in Glusk district, 20 hectares of grass burned. An employee of OAO "Zarya Kommuny" was tending cattle in the field. The woman lit a cigarette and threw an unextinguished cigarette butt on the ground. The dry grass instantly flared up. The ignition point was only 300 meters from the settlement. Rescuers immediately went to the scene and began extinguishing. On that day, there was a strong wind, and only because its direction was away from the village, nearby houses and buildings were not damaged.

By setting fire to dry last year's grass along roads, at the edges of forests, in fields and meadows, many may not realize that a forest fire can start, leading to irreparable consequences. With gusty winds, fire spreads very quickly – at a speed of 25-30 kilometers per hour. Localizing and extinguishing such a fire is very difficult:

March 16, 2020: late in the evening, rescuers received a report of a fire near the village of Yatra. Four units were dispatched to extinguish the fire, and there was a threat of a forest fire. The fire was caused by fishermen who left an unextinguished bonfire near the lake. Fortunately, rescuers managed to cope with the fire.

In Belarus, burning dry vegetation is prohibited by law. According to Article 16.40 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, for illegal burning of dry vegetation, grass on the root, as well as stubble and post-harvest residues in fields, or failure to take measures to eliminate fires, guilty persons are subject to administrative liability in the form of a fine ranging from 10 to 30 basic units. Article 16.41 – for lighting fires in prohibited places, a fine of up to 12 basic units is provided. In case of damage on a particularly large scale, criminal liability arises. However, many are not deterred even by financial penalties:

March 30, 2020: a man, based on his own conviction of the need to clear a land plot, set fire to dry grass in the floodplain of the Lesnaya River in Kamenets. For burning dry vegetation, he was brought to administrative responsibility in the form of a fine of 10 basic units.

March 17, 2020: a resident of the village of Budcha, Gantsevichi district, was burning garbage on his household plot, as a result of which dry grass caught fire. For the violation of fire safety requirements, he was brought to administrative responsibility in the form of a fine of 5 basic units.

This year was no exception. The first case of seasonal fires was recorded on March 7 in Smolevichi district near the Plisa River. Someone carelessly or intentionally set fire to last year's grass. Further, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reports were supplemented with similar cases:

March 15, 2021: a resident of Gantsevichi district was cleaning her plot, burning dry grass on the household territory. Due to intense burning and weather conditions, there was a threat of fire to a neighboring house. Rescuers came to help.

March 24, 2021: due to careless handling of fire, dry vegetation was destroyed over an area of 20 sq.m. along the reclamation canal in Brest. An alarmed woman called the Ministry of Emergency Situations and reported that her father had sustained burns while making unsuccessful attempts to extinguish the burning grass. The pensioner was hospitalized. The fire was extinguished by rescuers.

Rules for tidying up the territory of private residential buildings, dachas:

- bonfires are allowed on a cleared and dug-up area in windless weather at a distance of at least 8 meters from buildings (structures);

- a container with water, sand, or a fire extinguisher must be readily available to quickly extinguish the flames;

- do not leave the bonfire unattended;

- when leaving, extinguish the coals until they completely stop smoldering;

- burning dry vegetation, crop residues, grass on the root is strictly prohibited!

Another spring "problem" is nature lovers. Going for a "barbecue," people choose picturesque places. But, when leaving, people forget to extinguish the fire, leave broken glass, and throw cigarette butts into the grass. And yet, a gust of wind carries the fire over long distances, burning everything in its path.

To make outdoor recreation truly safe:

- install a barbecue or grill at a distance of at least 2 meters from buildings (structures);

- do not use flammable liquids when lighting;

- do not leave unextinguished fires, matches, cigarette butts, glass bottles (they act as magnifying glasses in the sun, focusing sunlight and igniting grass) in recreation areas;

- do not pass by burning grass; if you cannot extinguish the fire yourself, report fires to the Ministry of Emergency Situations by calling "101 or 112".