Rescuers of the Vitebsk region responded to two fires in hay storage facilities over the past weekend

September 7, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. Rescuers of the Vitebsk region responded twice over the past weekend to extinguish fires in hay storage facilities, Marina Fando, press secretary of the Vitebsk Regional Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, told a BELTA correspondent. The suspected cause of the fire in the hay storage facility of SPC "Baliny" in the Verkhnedvinsk district was arson. The emergency, promptly noticed by the farm employees, allowed to avoid significant damage. Only 1 ton of hay was burned out of 150 tons. The guilty person is currently being identified. In the Vitebsk district, a fire occurred in the hay storage facility of OJSC "Novka". Here, 10 tons of hay were destroyed by fire. The Ministry of Emergency Situations staff managed to save the bulk of the fodder (206 tons of hay and 187 tons of straw). The fire, presumably, occurred due to the biological self-ignition of hay, which was a result of violation of storage conditions. Issues regarding the fire safety of this warehouse had already been raised by the Ministry of Emergency Situations staff earlier, Marina Fando noted. Thus, in October 2008, based on the results of the inspection, the farm was instructed to implement over 30 fire safety measures, including five of a regulatory nature directly concerning the hay storage facility. -0-