The fire in the educational building of the Odesa College of Economics, Law and Hotel and Restaurant Business, in which 16 people were killed, was caused by the ignition of a household appliance.
The governmental commission has come to such conclusion, Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Honcharuk wrote on his Telegram channel on Dec. 21.
He said that the fire spread from the third floor.
“People could not evacuate because one of the exits was locked. The main reasons for this was the negligence of the college management and personnel in fire safety rules,” he said.
Honcharuk added that the court will determine the direct reasons for and those guilty of the tragedy.
He also said that Head of the Main Department of the State Emergency Service in Odesa region Viktor Fedorchak and his deputy Mykhailo Vovk have been dismissed.
On Dec. 20, Vadym Shuliak became new Head of the Main Department of the State Emergency Service in Odesa region.
As reported, a fire broke out on the third floor of a 6-story educational building in the Odesa College of Economics, Law and Hotel and Restaurant Business at 10:12 a.m. on Dec. 4, the area of which reached 4,000 square meters. At 2:18 p.m., the fire was localized but not extinguished as of the morning of Dec. 5.
A criminal case was opened under Part 2 of Article 270 (violation of fire safety requirements established by law) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
On Dec. 12, the State Emergency Service reported that as of 07:00 a.m. the death toll of fire victims at Odesa College increased to 16 people and 30 people were injured. The rescue operation was finished on Dec. 12.
On Dec. 17, Head of the Police of Odesa region Oleh Bekh said that according to a preliminary conclusion of the cause of the fire in the educational building of the Odesa College of Economics, Law and Hotel and Restaurant Business, provided to the police by representatives of the State Service for Emergency Situations of Ukraine, the fire occurred due to a fault in the wiring or household appliances.
