"You will burn with a blue flame"

The authorities of Rostov-on Don promise to pay 100 thousand rubles to the townspeople, whose houses burned on August 21. A large -scale fire, which destroyed more than 100 residential buildings, presumably, became a result of several intentional arson. Radio Liberty correspondents questioned the victims of the tragedy.

There is every reason to believe that the fire occurred as a result of intentional arson. Citizens who called emergency services reported fires that arose at various addresses. According to eyewitnesses, a fire in the area, which is popularly called Govnyarka, began at once in three quarters. At the same time, local residents say that since March 2017, people began to come to them "in suits with portfolios" and persuade them to move, and on August 7 the first major fire occurred in the area. The police opened a criminal case under Part 2 of Art. 167 of the Criminal Code "Intentional destruction or damage to other people's property." Earlier, the head of the Rostov region Vasily Golubev assured that the arson version would be worked out.

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Fire in Rostov-on-Don

The police opened a criminal case under Part 2 of Art. 167 of the Criminal Code "Intentional destruction or damage to other people's property." Earlier, the head of the Rostov region Vasily Golubev assured that the arson version would be worked out. The regional Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that the fire arose, allegedly due to arson of a landfill in the private sector. Pogorelians suspect the involvement in the fire of developers, who liked the expensive land in the historical center of Rostov-on-Don. Nobody believes in the original version of the fire from faulty wiring, such rumors cause only irritation among local residents.

Fire in Rostov-on-Don, August 21

The fire covered residential buildings in a total area of about 10 thousand square meters. m. Fire destroyed about 120 buildings, of which about 100 are residential buildings. More than 600 people were evacuated from the burning area. As a result of the fire, one person died, 58 applied for medical help. The fire was liquidated after a day. For Pogorelians, temporary accommodation centers were organized.

Valentina Livshitz is the owner of the site on theater avenue. It was she who was the first to declare unknown realtors who offered the purchase of her site at a reduced price:

- This happened a month before the fire, in July. Two men who refused to introduce themselves came to me. They called themselves realtors, said that they were working with the population, which they should report to the head of the city administration. They offered 2.4 million rubles for my four hundred parts of land, and when I refused, they were very indignant. They promised that the court would not be on my side and as a result they would simply put me out of the house, ”she says.

Ruzanna Baghdasaryan , whose three houses burned down Chuvashsky Lane on August 7, refused the realtors to sell the site three months before this fire:

- At first I was offered for four hundred parts and three houses about 8 million rubles, then they stopped at 15 million. But I refused, because five families live in these three houses, all my relatives. We did not want to live in different apartments on the outskirts, and we would not have enough at home in the center. Everything suited me, as it was, I did not want to move, they would give me to live calmly, ”says Baghdasaryan. A few days before the fire, during which her quarter completely burned down, the woman received the opinion of rescuers, which said that the cause of the fire on her site at the beginning of the month was arson.

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Emergencies in the Rostov region, the initial source of combustion was located at the address: Chuvashsky lane, 50. Houses here, as in the entire injured area, were built from Saman and were located very close to each other. From experience, local residents knew that because of one house they could burn the entire quarter. Earlier here, a tragedy was already prevented twice - on August 5, one house burned down, and on August 7 - three. On August 21, residents did not have time to save their homes.

Elena Kozinkina, who lives in Chuvash Lane with her husband and three children, told Radio Liberty to the Radio, that the fire flashed instantly:

- I saw how the house nearby caught fire, the fire flashed instantly, the flame reached the roof. I began to call the fire service, but they did not answer there. The neighbors ran out of the houses, led the children, the police immediately turned out to be on the spot, who did not give time for fees - residents quickly evacuated, ”recalls Elena.

According to eyewitnesses, the police at that moment made the usual detour of the territory when the employees saw smoke in Chuvash. The fire department arrived much later.

- I called the fireman until the first car arrived after 40 minutes - without water. Why was she needed then? Then I called the fireman every hour - they either did not pick up the phone, or answered that the cars had already left, ”says Kozinkina.

Residents and police extinguish a fire in Rostov-on-Don

According to the numerous stories of the inhabitants of the lane, their houses began to be stewed only three hours after the fire. But the fire still went further. Starting from 13:00, calls about fires on at least three more streets in the area of theater Square (central square of the city) began to enter the fire service. In particular, they burned houses along Nizhny Novgorodskaya Street, in the Overpoint of the serf, on the street on February 7. The burning houses shared tens and hundreds of meters among themselves - the fire could not cross from one source.

According to the neighbors of the victims, the houses lighten up simultaneously and very quickly. No one had time to react, because, as a rule, the owners were at work - it was the middle of the working day, Monday.

Due to windy weather and frequent buildings in this area, fire was thrown into neighboring houses. Therefore, the inhabitants of the houses closest to the fire were called to the rescue - to take out everything that comes by the arm. Things were dumped in large heaps, which gradually grew on the streets. Documents, money and pets, residents held in their arms.

There were not enough forces of some firefighters - police and volunteers joined the extinguishing of the houses. If there was no cordon around the fire, the inhabitants themselves stewed with the help of buckets. The inhabitants of the houses not affected by fire were preparing to collide with a fire - they poured roofs with water from the hoses, took families and took away all the things that were placed in the car.

It was possible to localize the fire only by 19:00. Aviation continued to operate on the district, all the forces of the city were pulled into the center of Rostov: the Ministry of Emergencies, the ambulance, military and bus park, which took Pogorelsev to the centers of assistance to the victims. There, people were offered overnight, food, water and clothes - many do not even have this.

A small group of victims remained at the place of fire for the whole night. They were waiting for some news from the city authorities and tried to see what was left of their houses. Someone extinguished the steaming ruins.

The next morning, the locals gathered together at the operational point, where they issued certificates for a lump -sum assistance and restored the lost documents. They showed each other photos of what was left of their houses: gates, walls or empty land.

- I helped people all my life. I transferred money for the operation to children or raised funds to families who lost the breadwinner. And now I was left without a house and I myself need help, ”says Eugene . She sits in homemade clothes and slippers, as well as the neighbors around her. Everything that the woman managed to take is placed in a small package of Auchan, which she carefully presses to her legs. - In a house that is no longer there, I was born, my daughter and grandchildren. And I do not understand how it could happen that now I have no home.

All I have is a home dressing gown, slippers and socks

- How many times have we reported that we were burning. The third fire in three weeks! And all that I have now is a home dressing gown, slippers and socks that a neighbor gave me now! ” - Marina screams. Her house was in Chuvashsky lane, this quarter is no longer.

- I wrote to Putin three times about the resettlement, no one once answered me. How many times were we promised to relocate everyone? And did anyone do something? They only offered to sell their land for some penny, for which I won’t even buy an apartment on the outskirts. And now it’s not what I have no more at home or documents, even my clothes, ”the woman answers her, wrapped in a blanket taken from the operational headquarters.

In Rostov-on Don, signatures are collected under the petition demanding the resignation of the head of the administration Valery Kushnarev. In addition, the townspeople opposed the celebration of the city Day, demanding to send people allocated to him from a fire.

Activist of Open Russia from Rostov-on Don Anastasia Shevchenko told Radio Liberty that the construction of high-rise houses and hotel was planned for a long time in the city center:

Developers repeatedly came to people, demanded that they sell at home for nothing

- It is clear that this was beneficial to developers. And these developers repeatedly came to people, demanded that they sell their homes for nothing. And the administration went there, but just did nothing. And because of the indifference, it turned out that a whole quarter burned down, ”says Shevchenko. - Now the residential complex is being built there. In fact, this is the very center of the city, close to the embankment, a very good place where both a hotel and a shopping center had long wanted to build. I think it will be so over time, in any case they will build, but just decided to clear the territory with such barbaric methods, ”the activist of Open Russia believes. People complained about threats a few days before the fire.

The exact name of the builders is still unknown. But, according to Anastasia, there are rumors in the city that one of the leaders of these companies flew from Russia urgently:

It is clear that developers communicate with the city administration, but this is at the level

- It is clear that developers communicate with the city administration, but this is all at the level of speculation. However, the people who went home said that they came from the mayor of the city of Vitaly Kushnarev, from the city administration, ”said Anastasia Shevchenko. She believes that the investigation of the causes of the fire will be lowered "on the brakes":

- I am actually sure that nothing is being investigated. Because they began to say that this landfill caught fire, that the house allegedly broke out in general in another area, but, they say, there was such a hot day with a strong wind ... But not only at home, a person died in a fire. We had a snowfall - people were killed, there was a flood in the city - a girl was bending, now a fire - a man died, but nothing has been done, no one was punished.

The defender of the monuments of history and culture from Rostov-on-Don , Alexander Sushkov, told Radio Liberty that this is not the first arson in the city: recently, as a result of a fire on the Bogotanovsky descent in the Rostov-on Don (this is also the historical center of the city), several wooden houses burned down. Defenders of cultural monuments have repeatedly turned to the city administration with a request to create a historical and tourist object at this place. Here, in particular, the building of the first city water supply, built in the 19th century, is located. The city administration answered positively, noting that it was necessary to solve a number of property issues: several dilapidated wooden houses are located nearby. According to Alexander Sushkov, people came to the inhabitants of these houses who invited them to free their homes for ridiculous compensation. Residents refused to move out, and houses on the Bogotyanovsky descent burned. Later, the situation was repeated on theatrical, Sushkov says:

They said to people: if you do not agree, you will "burn with a blue flame"

- There is also a large number of dilapidated buildings, also very old, including those that, however, are not monuments, however, this is historically also the center of Rostov. And very openly on television, a lot of residents said that very strange people came to them shortly before the fire and also made strange offers - they tried to literally offer penny compensation and hinted that they needed to get out of here. They told them: “Look, if you do not agree, you will burn with a blue flame,” it was literally pronounced, ”says Alexander Sushkov.

According to him, local authorities categorically deny the connection with developers who can be involved in a series of arson:

We have a huge number of developers, including from Moscow who behave expressively

- In fact, there are a lot of developers in Rostov. In our city, this is a pronounced trend - a bitter number of developers, including from Moscow who behave expressively. Moscow money is no longer placed in Moscow, they begin to creep around Russia, ”says Sushkov. - According to Governor Vasily Golubev, he does not know these people. But these people will be revealed quite obviously after the Ministry of Emergency Situations said that this was the introduced source of the fire - there were too many witnesses, ”Sushkov is sure. - According to the plan, they were going to build high -rise buildings there, and this trend - the development of the Don coast with high -rise buildings - does not suit practically any architects. Because according to all the norms, according to all urban planning plans, the development of the shores of the Don is categorically unacceptable. Nevertheless, this happens. Of course, this is also satisfied with the residents of Rostov, in some cases it even creates a danger, because now the skyscrapers that are built close to the shore are also there is an aquifer from which our springs eat. Therefore, nothing can categorically build on these slopes. And in this place they just wanted to build skyscrapers. It is clear that this is very commercially beneficial, because at home with a view of the Don, but at the same time it creates a danger. And now they decided, apparently, this place to free, ”said Alexander Sushkov, defender of cultural monuments from Rostov-on-Don.

On Wednesday, the head of the Russian Ministry of Emergencies, Vladimir Puchkov, instructed the governor of the Rostov region Vasily Golubev and the local authorities to prepare the project to fully reclamation of the fire zone in Rostov-on-Don. According to Puchkov, everything should be done "in open mode, taking into account the wishes of the residents of the city and its injured areas."