MOSCOW, January 3 (RIA Novosti) – Fires that started during Russia's New Year celebrations proved less deadly in 2014, an emergency situations official said Friday, with 34 percent fewer people dying in blazes over the holiday than last year.
Between December 31 and January 2, there were just over 1,500 fires that killed 180 people across Russia, said Yuri Deshevykh, oversight department chief for Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry.
He said that the number of fires had also decreased 16 percent from last year’s New Year festivities.
There were some 4,220 fires over the holidays from January 1 to 8 in 2013 which killed 448 people, according to the Emergency Situations Ministry, compared to 4,290 fires in 2012 that killed 471.
