The biggest fires in St. Petersburg

Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in Russia. For many years he suffers from various cataclysms. Many believe that the main trouble of this region is the annual floods. However, no less than the calamity caused great fires in St. Petersburg.

Disaster Area

The cultural capital of Russia was founded in 1703 by the first emperor - Peter the Great. The king dreamed of building a unique, beautiful city. Under the guidance of the ruler, he grew very quickly. Not only wage workers who built streets moved here, but also politicians, cultural figures, noblemen, and the intelligentsia. Already by 1750 in the city lived about 150 000 people.

A minor fire in St. Petersburg overcame quickly. In the early years of the capital's existence, the city was dominated by one-storey (very rarely two tiers) wooden rooms. At first they stood a short distance from each other. These few meters did not allow the flame to spread to neighboring rooms.

Rescue units

The first significant fire occurred in 1710. Then, near the Troitskaya Square, a bazaar started to work. Since then, there was a need for a fire department. Subsequently, the rescuers of St. Petersburg got the glory of the most operational and best fighters with fire.

After this disaster, a special detachment was formed, fighting with fire. Trained people walked with drums through the streets and knocked warning the population about the danger. To overcome the elements raised the army. Help to extinguish the flames of ordinary people, and even some emperors.

But small fires in St. Petersburg have not caused any special alarms. Although this element was seasonal.

Causes of fire

Often the "red cocks" appeared in early December. It was at this time had the first period of heating houses. Some buildings flashed due to faulty stoves and chimneys. Others caught fire because of careless handling of fire. The buildings were wooden, so they burned one by one like matches. In the summer, lightning struck the dome of the churches. On especially hot days, a tow (fiber) and rags (flammable rags) began to smolder in the household sheds and outbuildings.

Since the 50-ies of the XIX century fires in St. Petersburg occurred because of imprudent handling of kerosene lamps. Very rarely were deliberate arsons.

Areas from the ashes

With the years of buildings it became more and more. Houses were built at a dangerously close distance to each other. The middle courtyards were filled with household premises, sheds, baths. Such a structure of streets required a special approach.

On August 1, 1727, a fire broke out, killing more than 500 people. First the warehouse was burning. Then the element moved to the houses of people, and from there to the loaded ships. After this event, the authorities issued a decree in which it was noted that all the wooden structures near important industrial facilities would be demolished.

However, fires in St. Petersburg did not stop. In broad daylight on August 11, 1736 in a room on the embankment of the Moika from the spark caught fire straw. One by one, homes flashed instantaneously. The element raged for about 8 hours. As a result, 100 rooms have turned into ashes on the Admiralty side.

Ruthless element

The following year, namely on June 24, the fire broke out again. This time the cause of the disaster was deliberate arson. The criminals were caught in the hot. "Red Cock" "ran" from the Moika to the Green Bridge. Then more than 1000 living quarters turned into ashes. People who were left without a roof over their heads allocated rooms in the barracks of state institutions. This fire in St. Petersburg forced the authorities to rethink the security system. Shortly thereafter, a professional rescue service was organized.

The red element spared no one. December 17, 1837 due to a faulty chimney lit up the Imperial Winter Palace. Nicholas I. himself took part in curbing the elements. He personally supervised the fire service. Part of the burning building was taken out of valuables, but the luxurious interior was burnt to the ground.

With the growth of the city, the number of fires also increased. In the 1850s, the figure stood at around 100 fires per year. In 1910, the number reached 1500.

Precious time

After the change of power, security rules were updated. However, no one can fully provide for the residents of the city. So, in the last century there was a fire in the hotel "St. Petersburg", which was then called "Leningrad". The tragedy occurred on February 23, 1991. About the trouble the service was informed only at 08:00 in the morning. Before that, the workers tried to fight the fire on their own. When the rescuers arrived, stairs and elevator shafts burned. Therefore, many guests remained cut off from the exits. As a result, 16 innocent souls were killed, 9 of which are rescuers themselves. Among the causes of fire - the failure of the TV and the closure of wires. Also considered the version of arson in order to destroy the traces of the murder.

October 16, 2015, this hotel again suffered from a fire. On the 5th floor, building debris caught fire. The area of ignition was about 50 m². Rescuers immediately evacuated more than 1000 people. Thanks to the professionalism and efficiency of the service, there were no victims.

Flame with black smoke

A lot of noise has caused a fire in Vyborgsky district of St. Petersburg. The fire broke out there on October 17, 2015 in the afternoon. It was a room on three floors, where oil was stored for cars in canisters and auto parts in paper boxes.

The smoke from the warehouse was visible for several kilometers. At night everything shone from the flame. First, the fire area reached 1000 m². However, very soon the area increased. Therefore, the flame was more than 10 000 m². Because of the elements, the roof fell. In order to overcome the elements, the rescuers poured more than 30 tons of water into the building.

Many residents of the surrounding areas were frightened by the terrible black smoke that rose from the object. Many said that chemical evaporation harms human health and undermines the environment. However very soon experts have assured, that smoke does not carry any threat.

Unfortunately, the cause of the fire was not established. Many different versions had this fire in St. Petersburg. Now in Vyborg, reconstruction work is under way.

Terrible tragedy

November 20, 2015 the city was stirred up by the terrible news about the tragedy on Marshal Tukhachevsky Street. House 31 began to burn on the 15th floor. Professionals immediately attributed the catastrophe to especially difficult cases. It turned out that two flats were burning. Firefighters, without wasting time, evacuated 50 people who lived near. They were at risk. The population could suffer from carbon monoxide.

The fire began to rage at 18:00. Rescuers arrived at the scene immediately. But the flame was so powerful that it was spent more than two hours to eliminate it. The area of ignition was 75 m².

When the fire was extinguished, the bodies of the five victims were found. The investigation found that the probable cause of the fire was the imprudence of residents of apartments. Statistics show that recently it is the most terrible fire in St. Petersburg. Tukhachevsky, 31 is an example of how dangerous negligence can be.

Despite the fact that the current working conditions of the Ministry of Emergency Situations are very prompt and successful, specialists can not do without the support and caution of ordinary citizens. Therefore, the rescue service asks residents of St. Petersburg to be always on the alert.