2006 Moscow hospital fire

The 2006 Moscow hospital fire was a fire that occurred on December 9 in a drug addict rehabilitation centre in Southern Moscow, Russia. The fire was on the second floor of Hospital No.17, a five-story building, where 46 people were killed. They were trapped by a locked gate. The disaster remains under investigation, but arson is suspected.

Event

The pre-dawn fire started in a kitchen located at the end of a corridor on the second floor when a wooden cabinet suddenly caught fire. [http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/12/09/moscow.fire.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories Moscow hospital fire kills 45] - CNN.com - Obtained on December 9, 2006.] The womans ward of the hospital, located on the second floor, quickly filled with smoke. All people in the ward were trapped, as the main emergency exit was barred by a locked gate, and the only other exit was rendered unusable by thick smoke. All the windows in the hospital were shut and locked. It is known that staff had the keys to open these windows, but it appears they did not have the time to do so. A call was made to the fire department at 1:30 AM, but by the time firefighters arrived, all 45 of the trapped women, including two hospital workers, were dead. A total of 160 people were evacuated from the building, ten of whom where hospitalized for carbon monoxide poisoning. Another person died two days later on December 11 from burns sustained in the fire. [http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/12/11/moscow.fire.ap/ Toll rises in Moscow hospital fire] - CNN.com - Obtained on December 11, 2006.] It was the worst fire in Moscow since the Rossiya Hotel fire in 1977, the exact death toll of which remains unknown.

Investigation and aftermath

The fire is currently under investigation, but early findings suggest arson as the likely cause. It is thought the fire may have originated in a pile of discarded materials. The fire covered a relatively small area of approximately 1,075 square feet, but the smoke was highly concentrated. Most of the victims were killed by suffocation from the smoke, with some fatalities attributed to burns. The radio station Ekho Moskvy said that the situation was made worse by toxic fumes emitted from burning plastic wall coverings. Investigators say they believe that staff at the hospital made two important mistakes in the way they handled the blaze; one being that the 1:30 AM call to the emergency services was too late, and the other being that they did not initiate evacuation of the patients quickly enough. It has also emerged that the hospital had been inspected by fire inspectors in February and in March of the same year, with the result of the March inspection being a recommendation that the facility be temporarily closed due to fire safety violations. As a direct result of the fire, emergency response officials ordered all health facilities in the city inspected for fire safety compliance.

References

* [http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/12/09/moscow.fire.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories Moscow hospital fire kills 45 - CNN.com]
* [http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/12/11/moscow.fire.ap/ Toll rises in Moscow hospital fire - CNN.com]