The first suspect in the case of fires in Khakassia was detained

In Khakassia, arrests of officials began in connection with the investigation of criminal cases of fires that claimed the lives of more than 30 people. The first to be taken into custody was the head of the fire department of one of the most affected territories of the republic, the Shirinsky district, Viktor Zenkov. According to the Investigative Committee, the number of defendants in the case may be increased by the heads of republican and municipal authorities who have not ensured the proper level of fire safety in the region. The investigation believes that the authorities ineffectively spent the budget funds allocated to fight the fire.

The detention of Viktor Zenkov was announced on Tuesday by official representative of the Investigative Committee Vladimir Markin. He is charged

Part 3 Art. 293 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Negligence resulting through negligence in the death of two or more persons”). In connection with the fires, which led to massive loss of life and destruction of property, the Investigative Committee opened five criminal cases.

Fires raged in Khakassia throughout Sunday, April 12. The fire engulfed 38 settlements in six of the eight regions of the republic. According to the latest data, 1.4 thousand residential buildings burned down. As a result, more than 5 thousand people were left homeless. According to preliminary estimates, 31 people became victims of the fires. Six more people are in serious condition at the Krasnoyarsk burn center. The damage from the fires is estimated by the Khakass authorities at 7 billion rubles.

“Zenkov, having data on the development of fires and the need to introduce the third rank of their complexity, did not personally go to the scene of the fire and did not organize the rescue of people and their property, did not instruct the fire department dispatcher to inform the central fire communications point of the fire extinguishing service in the Republic of Khakassia about the rank fire and requesting additional forces to extinguish it,” Vladimir Markin explained the essence of the investigation’s claims against the detainee. According to him, witnesses claim that in the Shirinsky district people were forced to fight the fire exclusively on their own. There was no assistance from the fire service. There was no warning about the onset of fire. Allegedly, they learned about what was happening only when the flames had already approached the houses. This, as the investigation believes, was the reason for the mass death of people in populated areas of the region. According to authorities, 14 people died in the fire.

The number of suspects in the case of fires in Khakassia may increase. Now the investigation is assessing the effectiveness of the actions of the leaders of the republic’s fire service. In addition, the Investigative Committee intends to evaluate the activities of officials of municipal and state authorities responsible for preventing and ensuring fire safety in the region. “Local residents testify to the unfavorable situation in creating a fire safety system, the main elements of which are state authorities and local governments. In their opinion, local authorities did not take effective measures to inform and evacuate the population, protect their property, even knowing about the beginning of the spontaneous development of fires,” said Mr. Markin.

As Kommersant previously wrote, Rosleskhoz accused the Khakass authorities of inaction. The department claims that at the beginning of April they gave instructions to republican officials to introduce a state of emergency and ban grass burning, but their recommendations were not implemented.

In parallel, the Investigative Committee intends to check the effectiveness of the use of budget funds allocated for fire-fighting measures in Khakassia. This year, the republic’s budget has allocated 14 million rubles for these purposes, which, as Vladimir Markin notes, is less than the Khakass authorities will spend on redecorating several premises of the government building and purchasing new furniture planned for this year.

Dmitry Malkov, Krasnoyarsk

The fire reached local authorities