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Fires have claimed 6,700 lives since early 2019, say Russian authorities

The number of fires per 1,000 people in Russia is less than in European countries and the US. however, there are more fires in Russia than in Europe per 100,000 people

MOSCOW, December 4. /TASS/. Fires in Russia have taken the lives of 6,700 people since early 2019, the press service of the Russian Emergencies Ministry told TASS on Wednesday.

"Almost 6,700 people, including more than 300 minors, have been killed in fires since the beginning of the year, and more than 7,600 people were injured. That said, more than 90% of these tragedies happened in residential buildings," the source said.

On Wednesday, the board of the Russian Emergencies Ministry chaired by Minister Yevgeny Zinichev discussed the fire situation in the country. According to the ministry’s data voiced at the meeting, the number of fires per 1,000 people in Russia is less than in European countries and the US. "However, there are more fires in Russia than in European states per 100,000 people," the press service said, noting that this indicator has been falling since 2014. From the beginning of 2019, the number of fires is 2% lower than the same period last year. Most of them - 80% - occurred in open areas.