Fire kills one patient at St. Petersburg infectious disease hospital

A fire at St. Petersburg’s Botkin Infectious Disease Hospital has killed one patient, Interfax reports, citing the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (MChS).

The fire broke out in the early morning on June 3, in a ward for hepatitis patients. The flames spread across bedding and furniture within an five square meter area (approximately 53 square feet). 

Hospital staff managed to extinguish the fire, but one patient, a 39-year-old man, died of carbon monoxide poisoning. A source from the emergency services told TASS that the fire was caused by the deceased patient, who was smoking in bed. 

Last month, fires at Russian hospitals killed five people in St. Petersburg (at St. Georgy’s Hospital) and one person in Moscow (at Hospital No. 50). According to preliminary reports, both fires were caused by domestically produced ventilators short circuiting. The brand, “Aventa-M,” is manufactured by the Ural Instrument-Making Plant — UPZ.

Following the deadly fires, Russia’s government healthcare watchdog, Rosdravnadzor, suspended the use of all “Aventa-M” ventilators manufactured after April 1, 2020. The United States has also banned the use of these ventilators, which Russia had sent to the US as humanitarian aid during the coronavirus pandemic.