Fire in Odessa on Troitskaya 25

There were 3 educational institutions in the building - Odessa College of Economics, Law and Hotel and Restaurant Business, Institute of Marine Biology of NAS of Ukraine, Odessa Department of the Institute of Archeology of NAS of Ukraine and a number of other institutions.

The Red Cross Rapid Response Unit organized the work and was on duty for the first 60 hours, after which they passed the baton to us. Our volunteers provide the work of the dining room and the heating point for rescuers who remove the rubble and for relatives of missing children.

At the time of the fire, about 300 people were in the building, the fire alarm, according to various sources, either did not work or partially worked. Most of the children were unaware of the fire, and when they found out they ran out into the smoky corridors where a crush formed, jumped out of the windows and broke their legs. Rescuers ended up in the hospital, trying to catch children with their bare hands and pull them out of the building, themselves without proper uniforms and trampolines.

As of December 9, 30 people were injured, nine are in hospitals, 12 people died. Rescue operations do not stop day and night.

Law enforcement officials believe that the fire could have occurred due to a fault in the wiring or intentional arson. The government has set up a commission, which must report on the results of the investigation into the causes of the fire by December 20. Investigators identified two suspects in the case.

“Now there is a big threat of wall collapse. In order for rescuers to be able to continue the search effectively, it is necessary to strengthen the walls. According to the plan, the walls will be decorated with a metal frame that will keep them from collapsing,” the head of the Regional State Administration wrote.

The strengthening project will be sent for approval to Kiev, and only after that the builders will begin to build the frame.

Now rescuers continue to remove rubble around the clock. Already taken out 1 thousand. 400 cubic meters of debris. The bodies of four people have not yet been found.