Unsweetened cigarettes caused 1388 fires and 26 deaths in St. Petersburg

From January to September 2026, 1,388 fires occurred in St. Petersburg, caused by careless handling of fire when smoking. The addiction claimed 26 lives. This is reported by Neva.Today.

Most tragedies could have been avoided if St. Petersburgers had followed precautionary rules. The MOE recommends not to smoke in bed, especially in a state of alcoholic intoxication.

Throwing burning cigarettes and cigarette butts from balconies and extinguishing them on combustible objects is also prohibited: a small light can easily turn into a large fire.