A criminal case was opened into a fire with five dead in a house in Chukotka.

A fire in a house in Chukotka, which killed five people, could have been caused by a malfunction of household electrical appliances, and a criminal case has been opened. This was announced on Friday, May 23, by the Investigative Department (SU) of the Investigative Committee (IC) of Russia for the region.

"The preliminary cause of the fire was a malfunction of household electrical appliances," the agency said in a statement on the Telegram channel.

It is noted that a criminal case was opened into the incident under Part 3 of Article 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Causing death by negligence to two or more persons").

Currently, the investigator has questioned the witnesses and ordered the necessary forensic examinations. The circumstances of the incident are being established, the UK added.

A fire in an apartment building in the city of Anadyr in Chukotka became known on May 22. 17 people were rescued from the burning building, five people died. Then it was reported that the fire occurred in the apartment on the first floor.