Until February 24, 2023: in Kemerovo, the court arrested the organizer of the shelter, where 22 people died in a fire

A court in Kemerovo arrested the organizer of a shelter for two months, where 22 people died as a result of a fire.

Andrei Smirnov was charged under the article on the provision of services that do not meet security requirements (part 3 of article 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

According to a RIA Novosti correspondent from the courtroom, Smirnov fully admitted his guilt.

The tragedy occurred on December 24 in a private house on Tavricheskaya Street, where Andrei Smirnov arranged an impromptu house of mercy.

According to preliminary data, the cause of the fire is a violation of safety rules when using electrical appliances or stove heating.

“22 guests have died.

Six more were injured, two of them were hospitalized in serious condition with burns, ”the official statement of the Investigative Committee of the Investigative Committee for the Kemerovo Region says.

The Telegram channel of the Sledkom of the Kemerovo Region reports that “the heating of the house was carried out by a coal boiler.

On the eve of the incident, the residents informed the accused that the boiler was out of order, but he did not take any action to repair the equipment.”

The fire started at night, when most of the guests were asleep.

Eyewitnesses of the tragedy in the house on Tavricheskaya Street said on social networks that the fire engulfed the building almost instantly.

This is written by a local resident in the Kemerovo Incidents group on the VKontakte social network.

“We were driving along Tavricheskaya past this house at 02:20 - there was not even a haze, on the way back ten minutes later the house was already almost all on fire.

Someone else ran out of the door, some young guys: they tried to run in, but immediately back - it was already impossible, probably, to find someone there.

This building looks like it's made of straw!

We heard the people inside screaming!”

- says the Kemerovo woman.

Online Preacher

Before the fire, many Kemerovo residents did not suspect that a shelter for the homeless was operating in the building on Tavricheskaya.

Social media users reported that there was always a shop selling pet food in the burnt house.

According to local media, the business also belongs to Smirnov - later he began to accommodate people in a difficult life situation in the same building: the elderly, the homeless.

The priest himself had a difficult past.

In his social networks, Smirnov spoke frankly about drug addiction, which he managed to overcome.

After that, the man managed to improve his life: he started a family, children, founded a business selling mixed feed.

He also converted to the faith and became the pastor of an evangelical Christian church.

“In a past life, four years ago, I was in a big problem - this problem is called addiction.

This is not about tobacco or alcohol, but about more terrible things, the problem that took thousands of lives to hell.

And to this day, this problem exists and operates, a hell on this earth called “drugs,” Smirnov wrote in April 2019.

The man actively led social networks, posted videos from his sermons there.

In his last post, on December 23, the day before the tragedy, Smirnov wrote about the nature of “good deeds.”

“A person [cannot] be justified by good deeds, and even more so [we] do not deserve the forgiveness of sins by them.

Our deeds express our faith and love for people, and love for people shows how much we love God.

Good deeds are a manifestation of love,” the pastor reasoned.

Judging by recent entries in the pastor's channel, the fire that occurred on December 24 was not the first in his orphanage.

On December 19, in a conversation with his flock, Smirnov recalled another incident. 

“We had a stoker, Sasha, so he ignited this stove so much that it heated up, a fire broke out and the whole boiler room burned down, it’s good at least not the house ... Then we were politely asked to get out of there,” the preacher said.

Fire raids

The Governor of the Kemerovo Region, Sergei Tsivilev, expressed his condolences to the families of those killed in the fire at the orphanage on Tavricheskaya.

He said that all such institutions would be checked in the region over the next week, primarily private ones. 

The official channel of the Kemerovo administration confirmed that fire raids are already taking place in the private sector.

Local authorities also reminded citizens of the need to follow safety rules when using electrical appliances.

“Particular attention (during inspections.

) is paid to houses where the families of Kemerovo residents participating in the SVO live, as well as low-income and large families.

Also, comprehensive checks are now taking place in all working shelters for people in difficult life situations, and places where such citizens are offered accommodation for the night.

The Office of Civil Defense and Emergencies strongly recommends checking the serviceability of all electrical appliances in houses and apartments.

It is especially important to do this on the eve of the New Year holidays, before the load on them increases.

It is also necessary to monitor the serviceability of the wiring, ”the Kemerovo administration emphasized.