Associated factor – alcohol consumption

In the evening of April 15, news broke like thunder from a clear sky that a 27-year-old woman and her 5-year-old son had died in a fire in the city of Orsha.

The day before the tragedy, the young woman was visiting acquaintances, where she drank alcoholic beverages all night, and the next day she returned home with her younger son. And just a couple of hours later, disaster struck – the apartment was engulfed in flames. According to the conclusion of the investigative bodies, the cause of the fire was either children's mischief with fire or careless handling of fire while smoking by the deceased. And, of course, a contributing factor – alcohol consumption. The woman had indulged heavily in alcohol the day before while visiting her friend.

Today, one can speculate about many "what ifs." What if the mother hadn't gone visiting, what if she hadn't taken the child with her, what if the children had stayed overnight with their grandmother... It's too late to replay these scenarios – the child cannot be brought back, and he is gone. But the grief that has turned the lives of the entire family upside down is real.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations has many stories in its records where a child's life hung by a thread, tragedy was very close and was averted by sheer luck. It is important to remember – playing with fire is dangerous.