MOSCOW, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Fires have killed 7,296 people, including 458 children, in Russia last year, the country's Investigative Committee said in a report on Wednesday.
Some 63 percent of the accidents were associated with unattended sources of open fire, non-extinguished cigarettes, or matches and lighters left in dangerous proximity to children, it said.
One fifth of the cases resulted from violations of safety rules by owners of residential premises, including improper use of electrical and heating appliances.
Some cases were attributed to design errors in residential premises with improper placement of electrical wiring and heating elements.
The number of tragic cases increased in the cold season when various electric heating appliances and furnaces were used.
According to the report, the most important and obvious problem of fire safety is the reluctance of people to take fire prevention measures to protect their property and to purchase fire detection equipment.
The committee stressed the need to improve legislation in order to strengthen control over compliance with fire safety requirements and timely response to violations.
