On December 8, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The third emergency situation in the last five days, caused by violation of the rules for operating gas cylinders, occurred in the Vitebsk region, the press secretary of the Vitebsk Regional Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Marina Fando, told a BELTA correspondent. A fire in a residential building in the village of Shpakovshchina, Polotsk district, occurred on December 7. The arriving firefighters extinguished the fire, but despite their efforts, the house is no longer suitable for habitation. As it was established, the 80-year-old owner of the house, who lived alone, called a neighbor to replace the gas cylinder. The man carried out the replacement, and decided to check the connection for leaks using a lit match. As a result, a torch-like flame occurred, which became the cause of the fire. The old woman received burns of degree 1-2 on 10% of her body, and the perpetrator of the incident received burns of the hands of degree 1 on 5% of their area. The preliminary damage is estimated at Br3 million. As reported earlier, on December 3, gas-air mixture explosions occurred in the Dokshitsy and Dubrovno districts, which caused fires and injuries to the homeowners. In both cases, the cause of the emergency was a violation of fire safety rules. The Vitebsk Regional Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations reminds that the consumer of gas is responsible for safe operation. The connection must not be checked for leaks with open flame under any circumstances. Gas leaks can be detected using soapy water with abundant foam. The solution is applied to the connections and valve stems, and where the gas escapes, soap bubbles will form. In addition, there are a number of simple rules for storing and operating gas cylinders, the observance of which will help save lives and property.-0-

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