Onega Shipyard burned in Karelia: what happened, the victims

On the morning of April 3, a large fire started at the Onega Shipyard in Petrozavodsk. The flames engulfed one of the new workshops of the enterprise, spreading to 1.5 thousand square meters. m. As a result of the incident, three people were injured, two of them are in serious condition. Dozens of rescuers were involved in extinguishing the fire, and the fire has now been extinguished. For more information about what is known about the fire at the Onega Shipyard, see the Izvestia article.

Fire at the Onega shipyard: the cause of the fire, the victims

On Thursday, April 3, at 9:50 a.m., a fire was reported in the building of the Onega Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Plant in Petrozavodsk, located at No. 25 Rigachina Street. This was reported in the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Karelia. The fire occurred in the fourth workshop, which is part of the new production complex. In a matter of hours, the fire engulfed 1,500 square meters of the enterprise. The fire was assigned a second increased difficulty level, and a huge column of black smoke, according to eyewitnesses, was visible from all over the city.

More than 60 rescuers and 20 pieces of equipment were involved in extinguishing the fire from the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Karelia, the ministry said. The fire was contained at 11:26 a.m. and extinguished by 1 p.m.

As a result of the fire, three people were injured and evacuated by firefighters from the burning workshop. They have now been taken to medical institutions in Petrozavodsk. Two victims are in serious condition in intensive care: they have burns of the upper respiratory tract and poisoning with combustion products. Gorenje

"Firefighters from the Russian Emergencies Ministry are currently working at the site, and rescuers are monitoring the situation using quadrocopters. There are no dead, there are three injured," the head of Karelia Artur Parfenchikov wrote on social networks.

According to preliminary information, the explosion of a gas cylinder was the cause of the fire at the plant. According to another version, the fire occurred due to welding work that was carried out without observing safety regulations, which triggered the fire. The prosecutor's office began checking the incident. The place of the emergency is being studied by the prosecutor of the republic Dmitry Kharchenkov and the head of the region Artur Parfenchikov.

What is the Onega Shipyard known for?

Onega Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Plant (OSSZ) is known as one of the largest shipbuilding enterprises in the north-west of Russia. It was founded in 2002 in Petrozavodsk on the basis of the facilities of the Belomorsko-Onega Shipping Company, which was established in 1944.

The plant is engaged in the construction and repair of various types of vessels, including bulk carriers, tankers, fishing vessels and specialized ships for the needs of the Arctic fleet. The company employs more than 500 workers, and its activities have a major impact on the region's economy.

In 2012, the plant's activities were stopped due to bankruptcy, but in 2015 the company resumed production after the transfer of the OSSZ to state ownership. In 2019, a large-scale modernization of the plant began, aimed at creating Russia's first digital shipyard. Investments amounted to 5.1 billion rubles. In 2023, the OSSZ began building its first icebreakers of the 22740M project, which are scheduled to be launched in 2025.

A fire in Moscow on the territory of a former factory

This is not the only major fire in recent times. In the north-west of Moscow, on the territory of the former machine-building plant named after Chernysheva Street in Skhodnensky cul-de-sac, a large-scale fire broke out. The fire occurred on January 31. The fire spread to more than 2 thousand square meters. m. Aviation and a special train were involved in extinguishing the fire. The fire was extinguished in difficult conditions due to the high temperature. Rescuers managed to evacuate 60 people, and about 300 employees were able to leave the building on their own.

Short-circuit or wiring: a hostel in the north-west of Moscow was extinguished

Four helicopters and a train were involved in extinguishing the fire

According to preliminary data, the cause of the fire was a short circuit in the electrical wiring. This conclusion was announced on the day of the incident by the press service of the Main Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee for Moscow. The investigative authorities have opened a criminal case under Article 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Provision of services that do not meet safety requirements") in order to clarify all the circumstances of the incident.