Alexandr Gorobets: Train burned in Ukraine

Fires are a real disaster in Ukraine. Almost every day, a report appears about material damage and victims caused by fire. The main reason for the fires is cold. People, while trying to warm themselves, build self-made heaters. During the night, when the “designers” sleep, lead starts to ignite. As a result of such electrical fires, many people die.

Though, yesterday, a train caught fire. A fire in the diesel train Kozyatin – Shepetovka appeared at about 14.00 (Ukrainian time) in Zhitomir region, at the Vakukenchuk railway station of Southwestern railway.

According to the investigation’s results, the fire was caused by a short circuit in the electricity supply network. As a result of the fire, one carriage burned down, while two carriages were damaged. Fortunately, there were no victims. However, the movement of passenger trains Kiev – Warsaw and Warsaw – Kiev was stopped for some time. The fire was extinguished after two hours, while the damaged carriages were transported to dead-end siding. One hour later, movement was recommenced. An operative group of the Ukrainian Emergency Ministry, 30 firefighters and five fire-engines, took part in extinguishing the fire.

Approximately at the same time, a fire took place at the another end of the country, in the Charkov zoo. Local workers simply decided to warm rare animals with radiators. Though, as a result of the network’s overcharge, wires ignited. If the fire had not been noticed in time, many animals could have died.

The fire took place in the young animals area. Sixty animals got to epicentre of fire, including rare parrots, monkeys, and turtles. The collection of animals is worth about $2,000.

It took about an hour to extinguish the fire. To rescue the animals, the firefighters had to search for them and to carry them out, including pythons and monkeys. Not one animal was lost. The zoo’s workers have to search for new warm dwellings for the homeless animals.

Alexandr Gorobets PRAVDA.Ru Kiev Ukriane

Translated by Vera Solovieva