In Zhitkovichi, a passerby rescued a mother with two children from a fire (SB.BY)

The incident occurred in one of the five-story buildings in the district center. A fire broke out in an apartment on the fourth floor. Inside were a family: a 25-year-old owner and her two daughters, aged two and seven, reported the Gomel Regional Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

A casual witness to the incident was 38-year-old Vyacheslav Boldin, who was returning to work from his lunch break. Hearing a scream and noticing a woman with a child in the window, he rushed to help. The man had to crawl through the smoke-filled apartment. In doing so, he discovered the source of the fire – children's toys were burning. To extinguish them, Vyacheslav threw his pea coat over them.

By touch, he managed to find one of the girls and carry her out to the stairwell. After handing the child over to the neighbors, Vyacheslav Boldin returned for the owner and her youngest daughter and led both of them outside.

All four were taken to the hospital. The eldest girl suffered the most, sustaining serious burns. In critical condition, the child was transported to Minsk, where doctors are fighting for her life. The others were diagnosed with smoke inhalation.

It was established that the woman was asleep at the time of the incident. Most likely, her eldest daughter decided to play with matches at that time. The situation was exacerbated by the absence of autonomous fire detectors in the apartment. Initially, they were present, but over time, their batteries ran out. But instead of replacing them, the owner preferred to remove the now useless devices from sight.

The incident occurred just one day after another tragedy, which also happened in Zhitkovichi. During a fire in a private house, two children died – a four-year-old boy and his two-year-old sister. The mother, who was also at home, managed to save two others. The circumstances of the fatal emergency are currently being investigated. The version being considered is careless handling of fire.