Fire in Kamai village

On January 3, 2022, at 09:37, a report was received about a fire in a house in the village of Kamai, Postavy district. As a result of the fire, the ceiling in the house was damaged. The cause of the fire is being investigated. The considered version of the cause of the fire is a violation of the rules for operating stoves, heat-generating units, and devices.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations reminds:

Before the start of the heating season, the stove must be thoroughly checked and repaired. Chimneys should be whitewashed, and then cracks can be easily detected and eliminated in sooty areas.

During the heating season, the chimney should be cleaned every three months. Untimely cleaning of the chimney leads to a large accumulation of soot, which reduces draft and is one of the causes of fires. In addition, the combustion process is accompanied by high temperatures and the formation of sparks.

Flying out of the chimney, sparks create another fire hazard.

To avoid ignition of a wooden floor from fallen hot coals, a metal (pre-furnace) sheet must be nailed to the floor in front of the stove door.

Key requirements to consider when installing or repairing stove heating:

– provide distances of at least 100 mm from stove bodies to partitions made of combustible materials;

– for each stove, provide independent vertical chimneys made of solid clay brick with a wall thickness of at least 120 mm. The installation of horizontal chimneys is prohibited;

– chimneys for their entire height (above the roof level) must be made of clay brick with a wall thickness of at least 120 mm. The installation of asbestos-cement, ceramic, metal pipes is strictly prohibited;

– at the intersection of a wooden floor, perform a standard (at least 380 mm without additional protection and 250 mm with additional protection) fire-resistant cutting of the stove chimney. The thickness of the cutting should be greater than the thickness of the floor (ceiling) by 70 mm;

– provide a clear distance of at least 130 mm from the outer surface of the chimney to the wooden elements of the roof. Plaster and whitewash the chimney in the attic.

It should also be remembered that before the start of the heating season, chimneys and stoves must be cleaned of soot. Cleaning is carried out depending on operating conditions, but at least once a year. Stoves, pipe surfaces, and walls through which smoke channels pass must be in good condition, without cracks, and in attics — plastered and whitewashed. Stoking must be stopped at least 2 hours before residents go to sleep. The ash and slag removed must be watered until completely extinguished.

When operating stove heating, it is not allowed to stoke faulty stoves, use flammable and combustible liquids to ignite the stove, use firewood whose length exceeds the size of the firebox, overheat stoves, stoke with coal, coke, and gas stoves not intended for these types of fuel, operate the stove in the absence of stationary floor protection from combustible materials with non-combustible sheet or slab material measuring at least 0.7 x 0.5 m, placed with its long side along the stove, leave stoking stoves unattended, or entrust their supervision to children.

Remember! By observing fire safety rules, you will protect yourself and your loved ones from trouble.